Something Right
by ArelDarke
Summary: Sequel to Wedding. Gilbert, the infamous rake had set his eyes on the quiet and sweet Mathilda. He thought it was awesome to have ravished a pure.That is until something he left had caused a scandal in all aristocracy. Will he finally do something right for once in his life? Full sum inside. pregnancy. PruXfCan, RoXfChu, UkXfUs and other pairings. invisiblemanda as editor.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own hetalia

_**Summary: Gilbert is an infamous rake in his area, enjoying his life as a single unattached man, leaving all his responsibilities to his younger brother was the most awesome idea he had since letting go of the Hungarian girl. And a one night stand with the quiet French-American girl was he thought something right at the time of her nineteenth birthday. Until he had impregnate her that had caused a scandal not only on his own but the peaceful life of Mathilda was shattered right in front of her eyes. Will Gilbert finally do something right in his thirty-one years of existing? Would he let go of his pride and take the little girl under his wings sweetly? Or surge it off and enjoy his life as before?**_

_**(re-edit for wrong grammar and spelling)**_

* * *

Mathilda was fanning herself inside the huge cathedral. Why her twin sister had to pick the hottest day to get married was beyond her. She tried loosening her corset a little to let more oxygen inside her system. She puffed a warm breath and her mother scowled her.

"Mon cher, do stop fanning. It's quite inappropriate." Her mother, Laura B. Jones, is a beautiful Frenchwoman, with blond hair and blue eyes, a regal face and is quite tall much like her uncle Francis, (though he said that his sister was more aggressive when angered) looked much alike. Mathilda get some of her features from her mother's soft wavy blond hair and a kind smile. She looked straight at the altar where a bishop was saying the prayers to the blond couple.

Mathilda smiled as she can tell that her sister, normally a head strong woman, was nervous from how she gripped Arthur's hand tightly. Her sister. Amelia F. Jones was more like their British-American father, John Jones. With wheat colour hair and bright cerulean eyes and a smile that would charm anyone near them. Both her parents had come to England with them. They after all returned to America when Yue's wedding had finished a year and nine months ago. It was rather a surprised for them all when Amelia had shouted that they would be leaving in two days. Mathilda was rather devastated when she knows she wouldn't see the German prince for a while. So she, along with her sister and uncle, went to the docks with a broken heart.

That was until; Arthur had showed up on their door steps asking to court Amelia. Their parents were delighted to know that one of their daughters would marry an Earl. Well, he wasn't but he was the heir to it. So Mathilda had been her sister's chaperon for the whole courtship.

She hadn't practically minded it. She supports the pair. After all, they chased each other through the Atlantic Ocean. Mathilda smiled. Her sister didn't know but she was writing her story and she had sold it to a publishing company in New York a few weeks back after Arthur had proposed to her. Mathilda may be quite but she was quite loud when given a paper and pen.

Another heat wave came through the cathedral that had Mathilda seeing white. She pinched her gloved hand to stay awake. But that had only caused her hand to bruise. When the Bishop had finally said the words Mathilda wanted to hear all to long had her sighing with relief.

People clapped as the couple kissed and went down the aisle. Mathilda jumped, quite literally when she was face to face with Gilbert again. He was after all her partner for the ceremony. A blushed had come to her face again. His well known silver eyebrows crocked an arch on her face.

"You look quite red." She placed her hand on his elbow as they walk down the aisle as well the rest of the party.

"IT's the heat." Well, it was quite true. But her heart was still pounding on her chest that was for sure Gilbert had heard it. She had finally reunited with him a week ago and thought that he was also waiting for her. Given that he had made her birthday present so special that Mathilda thought it was her turn to had a proposal. But the morning she woke up, a bitter taste was left on her mouth with an empty bed space beside her.

She cried after reality had hit her when Gilbert didn't return to her room that day. Then paled. She had been deflowered by a man ten times older than her and wouldn't take her hand in marriage. She would be in big trouble when her parents found out what had happened to their innocent daughter. She was ruined.

Mathilda grown pale again at the thought that her parents founding out what had happened to her. She took a glanced at her happy sister, smiling her heart out in the hands on the man she loves. Mathilda then looked at Gilbert. He was also smiling but his eyes where somewhere else. She was also in the arms of the man she loves but it had left a lumped on her throat knowing that this man would never had eyes on her.

"Mathilda, Mathilda." Said girl looked up at her mother. She was gesturing for her to go inside the carriage. She let go of Gilbert's hand and followed her mother. She didn't what to look back behind her knowing that the silver haired man was too preoccupied with some other women more attractive than her.

Both of her parents were talking happily on their trip to the estate. Mathilda looked out the window and saw the carriage her sister and husband rides.

"Mathilda." She turned to her father's sad look. His huge hands were holding her mother's firmly.

"I hope this wedding wouldn't cause you any trouble." Her father's caring voice had given her full attention.

"Knowing that your younger sister has married before you do must have you insecure about yourself." He patted her knee.

"You're a beautiful lady. You will find your husband in no time." Mathilda gave a weak smile. No she wouldn't when they know what she did last week. Rest of the ride was quite silent. Mathilda didn't want to see the look on her parents' face and just kept her glance at the road.

When reach at the Kirkland estate. A servant had went to Mathilda to asked her to checked on the Braginksy's since they hadn't gone down the last time they called them. Knowing them, they must had known that she and Yue had grown closed the past year or so. So she escused herself and went to the familiar staircase.

Two lefts and one right had her standing at the door of her pregnant Chinese friend. She knocked it softly.

"Ivan? Yue? Is everything alright?" she can heard soft footsteps coming towards the door.

A tall Russian male smiled down at her. He wore an average English suit and the famous pink scarf he had over it. even on a hot day he still wore that was beyond Mathilda.

"Privet, Mathilda." Mathilda curtsied and moved aside to let the couples' thru. Mathilda smiled at her petite Chinese friend. She had her hand on her swollen belly but her clothes looked a little uncomfortable for her to be standing and walking around with that on her midsection.

"Mathilda, you looked a little pale. Are you all right?" Mathilda nodded.

"Just the heat." She wiped an invisible sweat on her brows. Yue took her hand and they walked down where had Mathilda came from. Ivan following them behind, silently.

"Let's get you some refreshments. The weather is quite dreadful today." They descend the stairs and went to the hall were everyone was talking and fanning themselves. The ladies were all given Chinese fans' from Yue's Chinese mother and had the guest excited about the using them. They were in trend now a days.

Mathilda scanned the room, looking for a pair of ruby eyes. Which was quite easy, he was after all a beacon on this mass of blue, green and brown eyes. Mathilda crane her neck but to no vial. He was not here.

A glass of lemonade was given to her hand that she gasped. Yue smiled sadly at her.

"If your looking for Gilbert. He isn't here at the hall." Mathilda opened her mouth to protest but nothing really can come out. This was usually her sister's job not hers.

"I know you have something for Gilbert. But as a friend and for your safely. He isn't the perfect husband for you. Or for anyone that matter. He only thinks of his position in the army and nothing more besides enjoying his life." Mathilda's heart dropped a few feet below her stomach. She had known that the hard way.

"Are you really feeling good?" Yue's motherly instinct had Mathilda smiled. Her child would be the luckiest in this world. Yue had her hand on her forehead and was shocked that she pressed her head instead.

"What's wrong?" Mathilda said as Yue pulled her out of the hall and into the library. When she closed the door Yue told her to sit on the coach. Her brows where drawn together.

"Yue sit down please. It's not good for the baby." Yue stopped her pacing and grabbed her wrist.

"What—"

"Shhh." Yue placed her index and middle finger on her wrist and she silently count. Mathilda swallowed and looked at the worried look to a grimed expression on Yue's face.

"Mathilda." Her voice was slow as in to verify what was wrong.

"Have you been throwing up lately?" Mathilda blinked but nodded. "When was this started?"

"A few days ago." Yue was silent for a while then.

"You're not a virgin are you?" that had taken back on Mathilda. But the petrified look on her face had Yue's suspicion concluded.

"What have you done?" Yue's voice was so like an angry mother that Mathilda cried on Yue's shoulder. Trying so hard not to crush the stomach in the middle.

Yue patted her back smoothly and thought to herself years back when she also cried her heart out in this room with Arthur.

"There, there. Mathilda." Mathilda was still crying but was trying to control her nerve. She was done for. Yue had found out what she has done a week before. She would be a laughing stock for the rest of her life as an unwanted woman. A whore. Mathilda cried more when she thought of it.

"Mathilda, dear. Shh now. You don't want anyone to hear you." Mathilda hold a sniffle Yue wiped her tears away and gave a napkin to blow her nose.

"Oh Yue. What have I done? This will be a scandal for my parents." Yue patted her shoulder and let her continuo.

"I thought he love me. But he left before I woke up. And now he acted like nothing had happened." Yue put two and two together and know who was the gentleman responsible for her, quiet friend to act like this.

"He was so sweet and gentle with me and now I'm ruin. He left me with nothing but a broken heart." Yue felt sympathy to her but she was about to break the little lady's dream of peaceful life once more.

"He didn't felt you nothing." Mathilda sniffed and looked with puffy eyes. When Yue took and placed her hand on her abdomen that had her heart stopped beating.

"Ho—" Mathilda saw blackness consuming her vision and fallen forward on Yue.

"Mathilda!" Yue's distress voice had her husband opened the door to the library. Yue looked at him with surprised and concern for the fainted American in her arms. Likely for them they were seated on a coach so one got hurt.

Ivan had carried Mathilda upstairs to her room and placed her on her bed and turned too looked at his wife frown face. She was moving the girl's soft wavy blond hair away from her pale face.

"You were listening were you?" Ivan nodded.

"Are you mad?" Yue sighed and turned to her husband.

"No, but I will if you told anyone." Ivan smiled and kissed her wife's lips.

"Should I tell the German what he had done to her?" Yue shake her head.

"No. let Mathilda do it. She is kind and sweet but her love had blind her to a dangerous man in Europe."Yue pulled Ivan out of the room and closed the door behind them.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah hey. I had finally started writing Mathilda' story. I hope you guys like it. and do correct me for my wrong spellings and grammar.**

**Note: this is a sequel to my other story "Wedding" you can read it as it but some of it will be a bit dizzy without the first story.**

**And for those who are wondering how Yue had known she is pregnant with just looking and a few heartbeats? It's because, in Ancient China, doctors or any member of the family would know if a female is pregnant by the sudden paleness, a slight fever and the quicken heart beat of this person. Of course now a day we have test to prove if one is pregnant. But my grandmother always says that this method is always reliable and easy. She had proven me with one of my cousin's pregnancy before it was confirmed by a doctor. And yes, the Ancient method can easy detect someone is pregnant as easy as the first week.**

**And of course in that time, 18****th**** or 19****th**** century, people do value a women's virginity before they are married and usually the scandals were either married women or widowed. The rake rarely had eyes on virgins since they take more time and work to get them to bed.**

**Please do comment if anyone of you are in agreement or disagreement in this story. Thank you.**

**the title or the whole fic is loosely based on the song Something Right- Westlife.**

**Also please don't be mad with me for making Prussia a bad image. Its just a story that I want to do make for him to be like this and I had of course make this fic a PruCan so you will be getting that and a bonus of Rochu and UkUs and other pairs. This are just the top three pairs in the story. Stay tune.**

**Have a great day everybody!**


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own hetalia

* * *

Gilbert was enjoying his time with one of the servants'. He had the awesome idea to ditch the reception. It's not like it was his and his British friend was too in love to notice him gone anyway. The servant moaned as he touched her seductively. Though, he always does this when he felt like doing it but somehow. Today, it wasn't that exciting. He wasn't even that turned on. He sighed and pushed himself up. The servant eyed him sadly.

"Sorry, miss." His German accent flowed easy with his English that had the woman behind him blushed more. He grabbed his discarded jacket and went out of the abandoned room. He turned a few times and was somehow in the garden. The sun was blazing hot that had the German prince covered his eyes. He hated it when his eyes wouldn't stand for few minutes in the sunlight.

He returned inside the huge estate. Though, not as big as his back at Germany but this, this place was much newly built than his century old castle. He was after all, Prince Gilbert Beilschmidt of the House of Schwarzburg. Not that they were directly connected to the Royal family but they must had in the past too had this title.

"Mathilda! Maddie! Where are you?" Gilbert looked up in time to see the bride running in the hall with great speed even in her suffocating wedding dress. He arched a brow at the commotion. Arthur was running behind his wife. Just a few hours of marriage, the Brit had his wife running. Gilbert smirked at the thought of his own joke. Then he heard servants gossiping, saying that everyone was rather shocked that the bride declaring her sister was missing. They hadn't notice.

Gilbert smirked. He can still remember how that sweet innocent girl melts in his hands. Though, she isn't innocent now that he had claimed her as his. But he did felt a bit bad for targeting a virgin. All of her potential marriage proposal wouldn't come now. That someway had brought a much bigger grin on his face.

"Bruder." He turned to his hard stone face brother. He had a scowl on his face.

"_Scheiße,_ West. Don't scare me like that." He patted his taller younger brother. That had caused his pride a bit, knowing that his brother is taller and somehow more muscular than him. They were both under the royal military serving Frederick William III as Colonel and lieutenant colonel respectably. How his kid brother turned more buff than him was beyond Gilbert. He was just glad that his brother still relied to him once in a while.

"Where have you been?" Gilbert laughed. Anyone else in his place, that Ludwig was giving to him would had them running for the hills. How his blond hair always combed back up neatly and the glare of his icy blue eyes can bring down anyone to his knees. Not to mention how his posture was holding. Crossed armed and he was wearing his military uniform which was of course frown by Arthur earlier but Ludwig refused to wear the English coat and cravat.

"Around." Gilbert waved his gloved hands and went to search for a drink. His brother followed him as he can hear clearly his leather boots clacking on the white stoned floor. Upon arriving to the hall, they greeted with glares and whispers. Gilbert shrugged it off. That's what the aristocrats do best, besides producing heirs was gossiping. That left Gilbert's stomach hurled. They are bunched of pussies that having else to do with their lives.

"Uh, bruder. I think they are talking about you." Ludwig inquired as they pasted a bunch of young ladies, they giggled as Gilbert gave them a seductive grinned but was pulled away by their mamas.

He grabbed a glass of wine, must be from the bride's uncle Francis, but he preferred his German beer but this would had to do. He gave Ludwig a glass as well.

"Here West. Lighten up. We are not in the present of the king." He gulped his glass then something caught his eyes. He turned his scarlet eyes to a very pregnant women walking towards him with much less wobble when she walk.

"Yue! How can you mange to carry such a huge guy's child?" Yue blushed as Ivan smiled placing his hand on his wife stomach protectively.

"Gilbert, may I have a word with you?" she looked at the prying eyes of the other guest. "Alone." Gilbert must had heard a few sighed and a grunt. They must really want to know what happened with the missing twin and they suspected he did something.

The two old friends walked out the hall, leaving a very uncomfortable German with a smiling Russian.

"Ludwig, _pravo_?" Ivan smiled at the German. He nodded an agreement.

"Ja?"

"How much can you hold your liquor?" Ludwig raised his brows at the smiling Russian. _This cannot be good_, Ludwig thought.

* * *

On the other side of the estate, Yue struggled to walk, she had placed her hand behind her back to support the weight of the growing child inside her. Gilbert eyed her casually as they walked down a hall to the west wing

"Are you sure you should be walking so much?" Yue practically growled at him.

"Hey, don't have to bite my head off. I'm just concern."

"Gilbert. How old are you?" The said German raised his brows. _Oh no, not this again_, he inwardly thought.

"Are you matching me up like those aristocrats mama?" Yue eyed him wearily.

"I'm not settling down if you're asking." They stopped at the middle of the hallway, Yue grabbed the nearby side table as her support and arc her neck to look up the German ranting.

"But you have a title to past on."

"There's Ludwig." Yue raised her brows.

"You think your father would appreciate that?" Gilbert scowled and crossed his lean arms.

"Like he cares, he still thinks that Ludwig is better choice to continue the Beilschmidt legacy."

"Maybe you're looking your father a little too low." Anger was boiling inside of the German. He combed his hair franticly and said throw grind teeth.

"_Mein vati_ only cares about continuing the inheritance, there is no way I'm going to be chained down by the aristocracy rule of being married to a proper lady and being cut off the military" Yue smiled a little. True on what they say, Gilbert cared more about his rank than having a wife to take care off. and being the next heir, he must either resign his military activities or give up his line to the one.

"So you prefer serving under Frederick III?"

"Ja!"

"Than having a secure happy life with a wife that pumpers you to no end?"

"Ja!" then Gilbert turned too looked at her in the eye. "Oh you sneaky fox, but there is nothing in this world that would make me fall in love with someone other than Elizabeta." A coughed was heard on their right that had them looked to a curious Arthur, an opened-mouth Amelia and a blood shot eyed Mathilda. _Oh shit_.

"Mathilda, I'm glad to see your feeling better." Yue walked casually to the said twin and checked her forehead again. Arthur eyed his friend but pulled his wife before she made any scene that wasn't nessesary.

Gilbert glanced at the two pair going down the stairs then returned to see that he was left alone on the hall way.

"_Was_?" that was rude of them. He grumpily walked towards were the two ladies went. He wasn't sure why, but he left like he had an obligated talk with Mathilda. She seemed like she hadn't move on the night on her birthday. Yeah, maybe that wasn't the right idea to do that on someone that was hoping for a marriage proposal. But could they blame him, he was drunk at that time with their uncle.

He scratched his head as he stride towards the ajar door. He stopped his hand on knocking as he heard sniffers coming from the inside.

"You have to tell him you know." Another sniffed and a broken voice came.

"But he'll have my head." Guilt was running through his veins. Maybe ravishing her wasn't really right. She was innocent after all. And she was so sweet to him.

"Listen to me Mathilda. They would found out eventually, might as well get a clean start."

So unlike of him, Gilbert bolted out of the hallway, passing some servants and couple giggling to one another and into the hall everyone was cheering to two people seated opposite of each other on either side of the table.

Ivan and Ludwig looked pinked on the face and there were bottles of whiskey and wine on the floor. Francis was counting how many glasses were consumed by each while Arthur and his father were laughing their heads out. must be drunk and Amelia talking to YueMei as she hold her three years old son, Michael, who was amused if you can tell his rather solemn face.

Gilbert was having trouble digesting this, he also looked a little shaken, maybe this want his father had warned about that all his action would come bit him in the arse. Mathilda would tell her parents that Gilbert had ravished her last week and they would come for in with forks and torches demanding to wed their daughter. Oh no. he wouldn't let that happened.

"Yue, should I tell Gilbert about the baby?" Mathilda asked shyly as Yue poured the basin with water. She guided her to it to wash her face. The cool water had help stop the swollen face of Mathilda.

"Well he is the father. You should."

"What if he doesn't want it? he did say he was in love with Elizabeta?" Mathilda flexed her head as a hobbit when she was thinking. Yue sighed as she re-tied Mathilda's hair.

"Do not worry about her. Let's just contemplate on how to tell your parents without making a scandal." Mathilda looked at her in the mirror.

"Ok fine, we will definitely make a scandal."

They were quiet after that. For Yue was tired and sleepy and Mathilda pondering on her thoughts to whether tell her parents after they left for America so she wouldn't be scold or tonight and destroying her sister's wedding.

A loud knock on the door had both of them and turned to the out of breath prince.

Mathilda automatically stood and bowed to him. He though pulled his hand up and puffed a few breath to steady his breathing.

"What happened to you?" Yue asked sarcastically and while smiling down at him. He glared at her. But straighten his posture, towering both of them easily.

"Lady Mathilda, will you do the honours of being my princess?"

"Eh?" was all Mathilda can say. Somehow, she felt like both she and her sister are cursed to like unromantic man. Yue blinked before coughing a few times and left the two alone. Closing the door them her.

He down on his left knee while his right hand rested on his bend right leg. He bowed down like a servant to his king.

"I'm sorry I took you without any intentions of marrying you but I would prefer for your dignity to be intact." Mathilda blinked. He wanted to marry her for her own reputation. Well it was true and she wouldn't have to tell her parents that she was carrying an unwanted child. But he did not love her. She would be marrying to an unwanted matched that was only accepted by the ton because he had deflowered her. She looked as his silver-haired matt and wanted to feel it again on her finger tips. The way

"_Oui_." She said softly while biting her inner checks. Gilbert pulled his head up.

"That's a _ja_ right?" she nodded. Gilbert smiled awkwardly and pulled her in a hug.

"_tut mir leid_." Mathilda didn't know what that means but he kept saying it the whole time they hugged each other.

Then Gilbert smirked. He pulled Mathilda to looked at her teary blue-violet eyes. "Guess we are going to crushed your sister's wedding about this agreement." He pulled her hand and Mathilda was having trouble keeping up his look stride of steps.

"Prince Beilsch—"

"I thought we passed that formality calling now that you're my fiancé?" Mathilda blushed. They went inside the hall where ever one had quite down a little as it seems that Ivan and Ludwig wasn't backing down but both of their faces were red and Yue was shaking her head with her mother on her side. The guest turned to Gilbert and eyed his hand on Mathilda'swrist.

"Maybe not the best time."

"agreed." Came the quiet voice of Mathilda. He let her go and went to his brother's side. While Mathilda went to her parents. Her mother had a scorn on her elegant features.

"Where have you been, _mon cher_? You missed most of the celebration." Mathilda swallowed a lumped on her throat.

She was saved by the commotion on the middle of the hall as Ludwig had slumped back on his chair and wasn't responding to the shouts of his brother on his ears. Ivan smiled and stands unsteadily to his wife and kissed her full on the lips. _That must have been grossed_, Mathilda thought on the alcohol breath that Ivan must now have. But Yue wasn't even disgusted as she smiled on his kissed.

That was what true love must be like. Mathilda eyed them jealousy and looked at her sister, happily helping her mumbling husband. She placed her hand unconsciously on her abdomen. Maybe she can still find love with this one.

"Is your stomach upsetting you?" Mathilda immediately moved her hands away as her mother inquired she shook her head. Lucky for her, Laura let it go and stood to dance with her husband as music had started to play. It was waltz. Gilbert came strolling down to her and pulled his hands out like the first time they dance.

"May i?" Mathilda took it and they walked down the middle with a few whispers Mathilda can be hear.

"_No way. He picks her over me."_

"_She is after all the bride's sister."_

"_He could be only playing with her."_

Gilbert's gripped tighten as they passed the rest of the dancers.

"Ignore them." Gilbert said as he kissed her glove hand. Amelia and Arthur was on their side and before the music begins Amelia had the nerve of shouting.

"Way the go Maddie!" Mathilda blushed at her sister's outburst. And some the guest laughed.

The music started to play and the dancers begin. With a step forward and a back they twirled. That was a bad move for Mathilda, her stomach had the sudden idea to flipped as well.

"You alright?" Gilbert's knit his brows together at the sudden change of colour in Mathilda's face. Another twirled.

Yue was seated on one of the chairs with her drunken husband and Ludwig on the other side had saw the sudden change of Mathilda's face. She quickly, without waking her husband's slumber to called one of the servants for a clean chamber pot. They were puzzled but complied.

The music had speed up and the dancers changed partners. When Mathilda was partnered with Arthur he also found her quite sick.

"Is something amiss Mathilda? You look quite green."

"Hope not as green as your eyes." Arthur was taken aback by her sudden boldness then they changed partners again. This time, she was partnered with her father. _Oh the joy_.

"Mathilda—"

"I'm fine." Another twirl. That had stopped Mathilda and run towards the exits and found just in time a servant bring a pot. Hope its empty, she thought as she grabbed it and hurled her luncheon. The music had stopped and everyone was looking at her. _Can this day get any worst?_

Yue and Amelia quickly went to her.

"Maddie! What's wrong?" Her twin concern voice had lighten her mood even just a little.

"It might be the shrimp at luncheon." Yue covered up and gave her a napkin once again.

"I'm fine now." Mathilda straighten her pose and was to afraid to turned her face to look at anyone. Yue thanked the servant as Amelia turned behind her.

"Do continue without us. The party must go on after all." She and Yue helped Mathilda up the stairs.

Leaving Gilbert and Arthur with whispers to hear.

"_He had touched her."_

"_He once again claimed another victim."_

"_He had no shame. This one was an innocent virgin." _Guilt was never this powerful in braking his appearance.

* * *

**A/N: Reactions? Comments? suggestion? Are always welcome.**

**Thank you ****Sakura Lisette**** for reviewing. That made my heart swell. And tune for the next chapter maybe before school starts for me which is on Wednesday. So updates maybe a little slow. But I'm glad you guys ****loved it.**

**Frederick William III was the great-great-great grandnephew of Frederick the Great. Since the direct son descendant died before producing male heirs. their reign where a 11 years difference and Prussia had two more Kings before him.**

**And waltz does have a lot of turns but you will surely enjoyed it. I know I did when I had that in PE two years ago. And sorry for a bit off character for Gilbert, since I wanted him to feel a little guilty for hurting Maddie. Hope you understand.**

**Hope to hear from you more.**

**Have a happy day!**


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own hetalia

* * *

Gilbert jerked as a hand landed on his stiffed shoulders. He turned too looked at very fuming forest green eyes.

"Mathilda? Mathilda! She's the girl we have been hearing from your last conquest?" He let his hand down to cross it in his chest.

"I'm very disappointed Gilbert. I thought it was another one of those farm ladies that you had persuaded with your lies. But Mathilda is an innocent girl. She is barely an adult."

"It was an honest mistake." Gilbert defended.

"Honest mistake?" Arthur inquired with a raised of his thick brows. Gilbert sighed.

"Maybe I was a bit drunk to think straight." Arthur had thrown his arms in the air in defeat.

"Of course, it has to be a drunken mistake. But you have to take responsibility." He pulled Gilbert out of the preying eyes of the gossiping hens. They walked up the stairs.

"I already asked her to marry me." Arthur stopped hauling Gilbert and turned towards him in surprised.

"Really?" Gilbert shook his shoulders. "She also says yes."

"OF course she does. She was ruined by you." Gilbert glared at his friend.

"Don't push it Arthur." after that there was silent stare between the two men in the hallway. Arthur was the one to tear his eyes away from the scarlet eyes that looked quite more menacing in the light glow of the wall lamp.

"So I presume you will be resigning your military practise?" Gilbert's eyes grow bigger by the seconds and now Arthur known he had forgotten about that rule in aristocracy.

"You have forgotten."

"_Scheiße, ich habe es vergessen_ !" Gilbert practically growled his statement in the silent hall. Arthur covered his ears and ranted in return. The German stopped pounding his fist in his head and look at Arthur with defeated eyes.

"_kann ich den Vorschlag zurück?"_

"You do know I can't understand that language of yours." Gilbert blinked. He cleared his throat.

"Can I ask asked someone to take my place." He received a smack on the head. The German grunted.

"You know I'm jesting." Arthur glared back.

"This kind of situation should not be turned to jesting."

Gilbert rubbed the back of head. _Shit, that will sure have a bumped tomorrow morning_. _What does Arthur have for a hand? Steel?_

"What?" Both of them turned to the outburst of shouts down the hall. Then followed by fast speaking French that they were sure Mathilda was in huge dilemma with her parents.

Arthur looked at the guilty face of his friend.

"You want the poor girl to suffer what you also have done alone?" Gilbert swallowed then walked stiffly to the room down the hall.

* * *

Mathilda's vision was blacking out again as she was help by her sister and Yue. She was then seated on the chair of the room she woke up before. Amelia came back with a glass of cool water. It had help her eased her stomach and the way Yue's fanning her was helping.

Her mother came in and her father was just by the door way with a grimed look on his usual cheerful face.

Laura placed her palm on her sweaty forehead.

"How are you feeling?" Her mother's voice was full of love and worry. Mathilda nodded her answer and turned to her sister.

"I'm sorry I crashed your wedding." Amelia shook hand away and smiled down at her.

"No worries, sis. I'm more worried about you though." Yue had seat down on the bed and was gently massaging her abdomen as the family scene unfolds in front of her.

"Are you sure it was the shrimp?" Her mother asked as she walked besides her husband.

"Ya, sweet heart. We also did eat it but none of us have the tummy ache." Mathilda paled more as her parents were suspicious about it. Amelia patted her back.

"Are you feeling like ya wanted to hurl again?" Mathilda just grabbed the wooden chair's arm and gripped it tightly that was sure her knuckled were as white as Gilbert's.

"I need to confess something." It was now or never and they would eventually found out anyway.

She looked directly on the carpeted floor and said in a whisper that her sister can only hear. Amelia's eyes widen and gasped that had both of their parents went to her.

"What she say?" their father raised the question while holding his breath.

"I'm with child." Mathilda said it louder that had Yue jerked from her bed. Maybe she need to get out of the room.

"What!" Laura shrieked an awfully loud that everyone in the room jumped. Too late, the Chinese thought as her eyes went straight to the shivering blond girl.

"Comment? Quand est-ce arrivé? Qui est le père? " Laura was in such range that she had slipped into her native tongue. John was red face but he didn't try to make his daughter feel any more uncomfortable.

"Mathilda, why would you—"

"What were you thinking—"

"Cet outrage un! "

Mathilda tried to kept her tears from falling as she soak in her family's angry rant and questions. Mostly it was her mother's rage, as for Amelia and her father were more concern and confused.

"Mathilda, vous me direz tout et qui est le père. Je ne serais pas ici et ne pas avoir un morceau de mon esprit sur ce salaud ."

A knock had all of them turned to the door.

Arthur's head came to view with a slight feared expression as he saw the look on the twin's mother.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt but there is someone here wanted to talk to Mathilda." He then opened the door wider and the lean German prince came to view.

He bowed to them as John did the same while the ladies curtsied. Gilbert looked at all the expression on each of the Jones face. They were either in rage, confused, paled. Yue on the other hand, look like she wanted to get out of the room and sleep this all off.

"Is something a missed Sir Beilschmidt?" John asked as to why the German Prince wanted to see his daughter. Gilbert smiled his well famous smirk, though Yue can clearly see that he was nervous.

"I would be happy to have your blessings for me to marry your daughter, Sir." Laura gasped.

"This isn't really the best time to be asking that Your Highness."John said as he squeezed the shoulder of Mathilda.

"No sir. This is the perfect time." He glanced at Mathilda, her eyes were teary and her lips were quivering.

"I was the one who ravished your daughter." Well, that was the best way to impress the future in-laws. Amelia's mouth opened but was closed as Arthur went to her side.

"You?" Laura pointed at Gilbert, which was rather rude but he was kind of not in the position to do so.

"You had taken my daughter's virtue?" Gilbert nodded. Then Laura went to face her daughter again.

"Cet homme va être mon fils-frère? Mathilda, vous auriez pu choisir un meilleur homme. pourquoi lui? il est un râteau. " Then she stopped and looked mortified.

"ne profite de vous?" Mathilda's face brightens with colour and shook her head furiously.

"Non!" Laura crossed her arms together in her chest a look of disinterest.

"_Well, you could have at least picked a more suitable man in this island." She said it in French_

"Mama!"

"_Didn't Francis ever tell you how to catch a well gentleman when I let you go with him? What had he been teaching you? I should have a talk with him later_."

The rest of the members had no idea what the mother-daughter talked about so they all just turned from one person to another in search for any rendition.

"Sweetheart, what do you think of his proposal?" John asked his wife when he interrupted them. It was getting weird when only two can understand the conversation. She sighed and turned to the serious German.

"I hope you know what you're getting into."

Gilbert smiled a tight one. He still hadn't thought on how to maintain his rank as well as taking responsibility of his action.

"Have you picked a date on the wedding?" John asked.

"I hope as soon as possible." Laura butt in but Gilbert take that into consideration. He will be leaving for Germany in two weeks. Might as well, surprised his father with a wife when he got home. Then he remembered something, one of the maids had been gossiping in the palace. One of them had married a high ranking soldier in silent. They had married in a quiet ceremony in small church on another country. That had Gilbert grinning. He may still get away with this.

They wouldn't be able to prove the marriage if they got marriage here in England. He would just leave the license in one of Arthur's books in the library. He would just tell his father that Mathilda was a female friend coming to see Germany. He can keep his rank as well as not make Mathilda's live miserable.

Well, until the gossips had died down and he can let her choose a real husband. She was after all young. And beautiful, she can easily find a husband. T_his is awesome, I'm such a damn genius,_ Gilbert thought with a wide grin on his face.

"Gilbert?" The German snapped out of his thoughts and looked at both of the parents.

"The wedding would be in two days from now." Arthur's eyes widen in alarm. He was up to something. He can't be nervous then happy as he can be the next minute. He was definitely up to something that would hurt Mathilda.

Arthur looked at Mathilda, and prayed that she would be in good hands.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys love it. **

**Translation: ( I only used google translate here so please bear with me. And do point out anything wrong for those who knows French and German.)**

** -German-**

**_Scheiße, ich habe es vergessen – Shit, I forgot about that._**

**_kann ich den Vorschlag zurück – can I ask someone to do it._**

_**-French-**_

"**Comment? Quand est-ce arrivé? Qui est le père?" – "What? When does this happened? Who is the father?"**

"**Cet outrage un!" – "This is an outrage!"**

"**Mathilda, vous me direz tout et qui est le père. Je ne serais pas ici et ne pas avoir un morceau de mon esprit sur ce salaud" – "Mathilda, you will tell me everything and who the father is. i would not stand here and not have a piece of my mind on that bastard."**

**Cet homme va être mon fils-frère? Mathilda, vous auriez pu choisir un meilleur homme. pourquoi lui? il est un râteau. - This man is going to be my son-in-law? Mathilda, you could have picked a better man. Why him? He is a rake.**

**ne profite de vous? – Did he took advantage of you?**

**The idea of this came to me when I was reading one of Julia Quinn's books. In a small town were a small church, you can have a quiet ceremony without any other knowing. Its kind a like marrying in Las Vegas where within an hour, you have your license.**

**Do review or comment, please. and hope you understand this chapter**

**Thank you for reading and have a nice day!**


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own hetalia

* * *

Boots were clacking on the wooded floor as Gilbert was pacing on the shared room he had with his brother. Though his brother was knock out death from earlier ordeal he had with Ivan. He was nervous and plotting how he would tell his brother that he was getting married in two days without making any scene.

He was after avoiding that subject whenever their father had opened it up. And now, out of the blue he would say "_Bruder, I will be getting married in two days so don't whine about finding a wife for me."_

A deep sighed was given from the pale German. He run his coarse had on his silver hair in frustration. He might get away with this if his brother would keep his mouth shut when they returned to Germany. Then another thought came into his mind.

How would he explain to his father that Mathilda was just a female friend in vacation? She needed a chaperon after all. The thought of Yue and Ivan was good, but she was in no state to be travelling. Her twin and Arthur? But they would be on their trip to America for their honeymoon.

That leaves Mathilda's parents and Francis. He smiled. He hadn't thought of the Frenchman after his proposal that afternoon. He was after all her uncle and Francis can kept his mouth shut when threaten correctly.

A grunt had come from the bed. He went to his brother's side and saw that he was coming in, he turned to the clock on the mantle and was surprised it was already five in the morning. He hadn't slept a winked. He rubbed his face and went to the basin to wash the weariness on his eyes.

Blinking his scarlet eyes, Gilbert looked at his reflection on the basin. His features were handsome like his brother, (but he wouldn't live it down when someone told him that his brother was the more attractive of the two). With a strong jaw line, flawless face and a smile that can make all ladies up at its present.

His red eyes were the one thing his worried about, sure he like being unique, it had its perks but every church he went in, the Bishop or pastor or the nuns, would eyed him differently. That's the down side of having his awesome characteristics. They wouldn't say it in front of his face but he wasn't a dim-witted when he was young, he knows what they were saying about him. Hunting of the past came to taunt him again.

"_It's the work of a devil."_

"_They should have killed him when he was born."_

"_Look at his eyes, they are red like blood."_

His father would sometimes tell him that they don't know what they were talking about. But he knows that he wasn't welcome in any holy place. They don't like him there. He was afraid that the small parish just a few hours ride from the Kirkland estate would also do the same to him. Especially if they found out that he had laid hands on Mathilda, an innocent girl he had victim off.

With an annoyed jerk, he grabbed the towel and rubbed his face angrily. This was the reason why he didn't like getting married. The church thinks his a demon that should not be here to wonder on earth. Telling everybody that he didn't want to let go if his rank was an easier excuse than believing he was a demon.

A louder grunt had him turned to grab a glass of water from the table and went to his brother's side.

"_Easy, West_." With their mother language, he gently helped his weary brother up in a sitting position before giving him the glass. Ludwig blinked his icy blue eyes in dizziness and grabbed the offered glass. He had drunk greedily to clench his dry throat. And coughed when his body was still half-asleep. Gilbert patted his brother gently.

"_Relax. It's not like you can't have anything more_." Ludwig just groaned at his brother's remark and drank more, slowly this time. When the glass was finished, Gilbert went to get some more and handed it to him. Ludwig looked at his brother.

"_You're up early_." Gilbert shrugged his shoulders.

"Can not sleep. worrying about you." Ludwig raised his brow at his brother's sudden concern about him. He lowered the glass and looked at his brother's features. He was smiling but you can clearly see the dark shadow under his eyes. He definitely didn't sleep. But with a different reason.

"_What really is bothering you_?" Gilbert ignored it and went to open the closet and pulled a new shirt out.

"_You should have seen yourself, West. Last night you were out cold, you didn't even notice you have fallen on the floor_." A pink flush came to the huge German. Gilbert laughed.

"_You definitely beat Ivan on my opinion_."

"_Bother._" Gilbert smirked.

"_You have made a match on him, he was grinning more than his usual happy face, though he didn't kiss the floor when I returned_." A groaned can be heard and Gilbert dropped the subject. His brother didn't need more of his teasing when he would much get shocking news. The pale German went to open the window. The humid air was splatter on his face. Summer here can be very dry and warm. The sun was raising and the vast green land were coming to view. Gilbert looked down and saw some of the servants walking around for their morning walks.

He turned around to see his brother knock back to the bed again. He skipped merrily to his side and poke the muscled arm. His hand was smacked away by the annoyed brother.

"_You're a little more annoying than usual_." A forced laugh can be heard and he turned to give his full attention to his brother.

"_What are you up to?"_ Rethinking about it. Gilbert knew that his brother was a little cranky with the hangover so he'll just tell him next time. Maybe later.

"_What to go grabbed a beer_?" Ludwig's eyes widen and shook his head.

"_No, this nursing the headache_." Then he turned to look at the clock.

"_It's five in the morning and you want a beer_?" Gilbert covered his ears as his brother's bellowed. Then a winced came.

"_What is troubling you that you want a beer at this hour_?" a much softer voice this time. Gilbert just ignored him with a laugh and grabbed his coat from the chair. And left his confused brother behind.

He bragged his feet around the quiet estate. He wasn't practically looking for anyone or anything, even a beer was out of his mind the moment he walked out of the suffocating room.

He turned a left and a right to finally came to the wide staircase. He was about to go down when he saw to his right, a rather small and fat female. As she came nearer, the lights had illuminated more and he saw Yue, in a fresh pink dress that hide her huge stomach well, but you can clearly see that she had gain weight with the dress.

"Morning, Yue." Gilbert bowed as Yue smiled at him. He looked behind her and waited for a particular tall Russian always following his wife around.

"He is still asleep." Gilbert turned his eyes to the smile on Yue's face.

"I assumed that your brother is awake for you to be looking for Ivan." Gilbert blinked then smiled as she had always impressed him with her wit. She acted so mature for her age. While he was a poor excuse for a man.

"Shall we go and get breakfast?" Gilbert nodded and escorted her down the stairs to the dining hall. The reception last night had continued, despite the fact that a new gossip was spreading. But they stop it the moment Amelia and Arthur came to the hall. But Gilbert returned earlier and he heard those things that had boiled his system.

"_Can you believe it? Amelia's sister was a slut."_

"_I think she isn't pretty that's why she throw herself to the first guy flirted with her."_

"_That poor excuse of a prince should renounce his title to his brother. Apparently he will be more capable of producing a legitimate heir in the future."_

Gilbert wanted to clobber all those revolting aristocrats, but he stopped himself when the couple arrived in to the hall saying that nothing was wrong with Mathilda, just a dizzy spell from the heat. And that, they enjoyed themselves with the food and wine and talked, congratulating the newlyweds.

"A pot of tea would you bring to my room please." Gilbert snapped out of his daydreaming as Yue had talked to one of the servants. He hadn't notice he was already in the dining hall. Thought, the past was deserted, beside a few servants walking in and out and both of them.

He then grabbed a plate and filled it with eggs, bacon, and toast and grabbed a cup of coffee before he turned to seat on one of the chairs of the long rectangle table. He ate from mouthful to mouthful as to distract himself from his predicament.

When his plate was almost finished, he glance up to see that Yue was still wolfing down on her plate, nothing surprise from that until he saw that it was already her seconds.

"Aren't your appetite big." Yue stopped the spoon midway and blushed as she placed it down on the plate.

"The baby is just hungry." Gilbert chuckled.

"What are you growing in there? An army?" Yue blushed but she smiled at him.

"You're in the mood today." The smile was whipped out of his face. Maybe he did need the beer after all. Yue covered her mouth as the sudden change of atmosphere in the room.

"Sorry." Gilbert waved it off as he finishes his plate. He turned too looked at Yue again as she grabbed her cup. The flicker of her finger had him curious. He then kept staring at the jewellery on Yue's left hand finger.

"Ring." He said it softly that Yue looked up at him oddly.

"Pardon?"

"I haven't thought of a ring to exchange." Then Yue had caught up to it. she turned from side to side to see if anyone is listening. When she was sure it was safe. She motion Gilbert to come closer to her. He got up and went across the table to side besides her.

"I hope you made the right decision without actually thinking it about it before hand." Gilbert just nodded his head and smirk his knowing smile.

"Hey, don't you trust me with this." Yue eyed him that had him sighed.

"Ok, maybe I didn't prepare beforehand but I would not let Mathilda's life go to a waste by my mistake." Gilbert fixed his eyes on the unfinished plate before him as he continued.

"I'll just make it up to her."

"Taking her virtue and le—" Yue stopped herself before she spill other information that would be personal. Gilbert looked at Yue as she turned silent.

"Are you alright?" Yue nodded and rubbed her stomach to make an excused that the baby just kicked. Luckily, the German bought it.

"So, does your brother know?" Gilbert shook his head.

"Not yet."

"When then? Your hurried nuptial will be tomorrow." Another sighed was heard. Is this really something right to do by rushing a wedding to a girl he knew a few days every year. Sure she was pretty as hell and those eyes. Gilbert wouldn't be happier than to look at it every second of his life.

"How about your father? Guess he will be happy knowing you finally settled down."

"My rank." A whisper was heard from the silver-haired man. Yue sympathetically panted his back.

"There now Gilbert. You had served more than enough for your empire. Look how great it is." A grunt was heard before a sad voice came.

"That's what I'm afraid of. Without my awesome presence, the empire will fall."

"Gilbert!" Gilbert straightened with bought hand raised as well.

"Well, it's true."

Footsteps were getting louder, so Gilbert moved one sit from Yue. He had already enough of scandals in his life time. YueMei came in with Michael walking casually behind her. Gilbert stands up to great the Lady and smiled at Hong that gave him a blanked stare. Gilbert then whispered in Yue's ears.

"I still can't believe that Hong is yours and Arthur's brother. I'm glad both of you didn't get married." Yue blushed but giggled as the German smiled his way out of the dining hall.

* * *

Mathilda woke up with a quinsy stomach that she quickly grabbed her robe and dashed out of the room to find the nearest chamber pot. Luckily, she found one before ruining the wooden floor of the hall. When she was down and had whipped her mouth, she returned to her room with a sighed.

Her life was in the darkest place yet. And she was only nine and ten. At least Gilbert had promised her a marriage but still, he didn't love her. Her whole marriage would be down as an act of correcting the mistakes.

When she returned to her room, her mother was already there picking out a dress for her.

"Mama," Laura turned too smiled sadly to her daughter.

"I'm just making sure that you look perfect on your last day as young child. You'll be married soon." A tear was on her mother's eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouted at you last night. it's just that, the news was shocking." She walked to hug her daughter.

"First your sister and now you. I don't have any babies left in my nest." A soft cry came from the Frenchwomen and Mathilda cried with her mother.

"Oh mama. It's not like we will not be your daughter anymore. We can still visit each other." Laura whipped her tears away and capped her daughter's face.

"I should have not forced him. You're too young to be all alone in the foreign land. Not to mention with a child. Maybe I should have not approved of the marriage." Mathilda's heart was beating quite fast. She never known that her mother would still accept her even if she was ruined, the fear of not being wanted in the society was just too much to bare. She was after all always overshadowed by her sister.

"But mama, the child should know who his father is." Laura made a face and let go of her daughter's.

"You think he can be a good father? I don't think he can be a good husband." The sudden change of mood from her mother had Machida back track her steps a bit. Her mother was after all labelled as moody back in America.

The mother-daughter pair talked and chat before deciding to go down and have their breakfast.

Francis was happily whistling to a tone, he had a great laid last night with one of those English ladies. He had enjoyed it but she wasn't the one he was looking for. He walked casually down the hall to go get his breakfast before being grabbed by the neckline to a wall.

"_Merde_, what were you thinking." The wall had turned out to be a door to a small room that store bottles of liquor. Truth to be told, how come a storage of liquor not down below was how silly Brits can be in preserving their wine. But the room was damp and cold and dark that Francis had to squished his eyes to see a much taller male, not so much, maybe a couple of few centimetres. When the white hair had been stopped that had Francis gasped.

"Gilbert? Why? How come?" Francis had somehow squealed that had the German mortified.

"It's not what you think, Frenchie." Francis then come down and crossed his arms together.

"Then why are we doing here?" His French accented English ahd Gilbert tilted his head in awed, but his German was more great than those French tongue, though, he a handful since it was the court official language.

"Silent, Mathila and I will marry by tomorrow mo—"

"Mathilda is getting married?" The Frenchman was so hyped up that the German had to placed his hand over the over opened mouth.

"Quiet. You want someone to hear us." Francis shook his head then did Gilbert removed his hand.

"You could have at least washed your gloves, mon ami." Gilbert ignored it and just looked at the Frenchman in the eye. Though it was difficult when there was only a limited light source.

"Listen. I want you to be an escort to Mathilda to Germany." Francis made a face.

"I would always be happy to escort my dear niece but why? You would be married. Wait. Are you the one that had harmed my dear sweet Mathilda?" Gilbert groaned in frustration. why does the rumours always gets into his nerves.

"Yes. I was the one deflowered her. Making her off limits to the marriage market!" now it was Francis' turned to covered the German's mouth. When the German had calm down Francis removed his hands.

"Your hands smelled like," Gilbert blinked "Never mind that. As I was saying. You will be Mathilda's escort to Germany until the rumours about her died down." Francis raised his brows, though Gilbert had missed it.

"And why is that?" Gilbert sighed.

"SO that I can tell my _vati_ that she is my female friend." Francis gasped with horror.

"Why? Will you not introduce her to him as your wife?" Gilbert shook his head.

"_Nein_. I can't just leave my post in the military without any notice." Francis was glaring at him but once again missed by the dim light.

"How could you? I will not participate in this. I'll be hurting my niece. Especially for a reason such as selfish as that." Gilbert grabbed roughly on the collar of his shirt.

"Listen. I know what I'm doing. This is for Mathilda, not me. I can't be good husband that is for her. She needs a better than me. So I suggest that you cooperate or I will pull a bullet in your gut." Then Francis can feel something stabbing at his ribs, he was too afraid to look down but he was angry to even considering fooling his niece like this.

"Then Gilbert I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. My niece will not take lightly on this." He shoved the German off him.

"She doesn't have to know. That's why I pick you. You can protect her from me." Francis eyed him pithily.

"You're making a mistake if your just going to pushed her away like that."

"Nein!" Gilbert shouted and turned away from him, it was not of course necessary but he was still too embarrassed that he can do that to him.

"I'm just helping her to have a better life than with me." Francis was about to say something but left the German to sulked at the cold damn cellar as he went out of it to cool his head.

Gilbert was still holding at the bottle of wine he used as a gun for Francis. He can't believe it he had accepted it. But a venomous feeling was forming on his stomach. He had just blackmailed his friend to hide his marriage with Mathilda. But this was best for her. She deserved better than him.

"She deserves better than a monster like me." Was the German whispered to the silent storage cellar.

* * *

**A/N: maybe this had turned to angst. Hope you like this chapter. I had a hard time writing this since I can't concentrate as I used to. School had started for me so my updates on this story will be a little slow now. But I hope you guys stayed in.**

**For those who were wondering who Michael is. He is Hong Kong and his two and-a-halves here. And when Gilbert said that he was glad that Yue and Arthur didn't married because he was afraid to have another stoic child in the household. Their story came from the pre-sequel of this story "Wedding" for those who are interested are always welcome to read and review it.**

**Glad that you guys love this story so far and hope to hear from you soon.**

**Thank you for the comments and reviews. Please do as well on this, it will motivate me to write more on the next chapter.**

**Have an awesome day everyone!**


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own hetalia

* * *

The tall well-built German walked with big stride. His boots were clacking to either wood or marble as he searched for his pale, (lunatic) brother around the Kirkland's home. It had been two days since the wedding of Arthur and Amelia, so it was presumed that the entire guest had returned home, except for him and his brother. But the house was quiet, a little too quiet for his liking.

He woke up that morning to see that his brother wasn't in the room and assumed that he went down to get breakfast like yesterday were he had woken up before him. But as soon as he went down the stairs. There was neither noise of maids laughing and talking nor the sound of fluent English and French in the air. Nor anything on the dining hall.

So that were he was now, walking with a frown on his face that maybe his brother had pulled another one of his antics to mess with him. He then heard giggles outside of the garden. He went to the doorway and knocked softly on the panel.

The giggled stopped and both couple turned their heads to him. They were seated on the patio eating their breakfast and enjoying the morning summer breezed. Yue put down her tea cup and with a confused and shock face and tried to get up with Ivan.

"Your grace, what—" Ludwig raised his hands to stop them from raising and walked with such posture that Yue was sure that he had been braced when he was little. Ludwig's scowled grow more at the sight of the smiling Russian. The memory of the other day had come back with the head ache.

"Please sit down, Ludwig _da_?" Ivan said as he motioned to the vacant seat beside him. He was after seated across from his wife with the circular glass tabled filled with food that looked virtuously delicious to the hungry German prince.

Ivan gave him a plate with scones and bacon. He had no idea how the Englishmen survived with such hard bread every single day but he politely took it.

"I see that the breakfast today is in the gardens." Yue was quiet while Ivan was the one answering his question.

"Da, who doesn't like to see the sunflowers bloom," Ludwig followed his eyes where the tall Russian pointing on the garden before them. "Aren't they lovely?" Ivan smiled but he wasn't looking at him anymore. He was rubbing soft circles to his wife's hand on the table. Yue looked like she was about to be sick but she turned to him with a sad expression on her glowing face.

"He didn't tell you didn't he?" Ludwig swallowed the pieced of bacon before answering her.

"If you're talking about my _bruder_. Then yes. He never tells me anything until it was too late." Yue turned her honey-coloured eyes to her violet husband ones. They seemed to be discussing something that Ludwig couldn't understand. So this must be what true love looks like, he thought.

"Ludwig," The said German winced at the tone of the Chinese voice. They usually ignored each other when ever his brother dragged him here to visit. He wasn't much of a sociable like his brother.

"Your brother is getting married at the moment as we speak." Then, the unusual thing happened. The usual stoic German laughed his heart out.

"_Mein bruder_? HA ha. That's amusing Miss Yue."

"I don't like you laughing at my wife." The warning tone from the much taller gentleman had Ludwig controlling himself. Yue eyed him with concern.

"It's true. He is getting married to Lady Mathilda—"

"Who?" Yue sighed.

"Amelia's twin sister. The much quiet one." Ludwig's mind was still trying to remember that girl when Ivan stood up had both of them startled.

"Ivan? Is something the matter." He then quickly pulled Yue inside the house. And the moment they were out of sight. A few rain drops had fallen on Ludwig's head and nose. He followed the pair before a much harder rain pour came down.

Ludwig then search for the couple, again, inside the mansion before stumbling on a servant that was out of breath. She gave him a note, telling him it was from his brother.

Ludwig thanked her warmly and came to read the small folded letter.

_West,_

_I'll be out for the whole morning, so don't panic when you didn't find the awesome me in your presence. I'll telling everything when we got home later._

_ Prince Gilbert Beilschmidt_

Ludwig raised his perfectly combed blond brows. Sure enough, his brother's seal was on top of his name so this was definitely real. He then kept on searching for the couple.

-^J^-

Mathilda swallowed the lumped on her throat. She was nervous. She was visibly shaking in front of the pastor of the small civil parish they were in. it was _Great Sturton_, and a couple of miles away,(more like a couple of towns away) from the Kirkland estate. And they didn't know that this exist until Gilbert told them that morning.

And they were here. Not so much of them as to say this were at the last minute. Her sister was crying (quite unnecessary actually) besides her stiffed husband. While both of her parents and uncle had seated behind them. Yue wasn't able to come as to say she was heavy with child and the long trip would caused a strain to her so she and Ivan was left at the mansion. What surprised Mathilda was that Gilbert's brother wasn't with them. He told her that he would follow them. But the ceremony was about to be finished and he wasn't still with them.

As the pastor finished his blessings, both of them faced each other. This was the first time, Mathilda got a good chance to look at Gilbert since the other day. She had a blushed on cheeks as she saw him in his military uniform complete with medals and sword. The sight of him in it had her caught her breath. The kissed was simple and quick. A bit too quick for her liking but she bite her tongue as they returned to the pastor to sign a few documents that were past to her family.

As that short ceremony was officially finished. Amelia hugged her sister as they walked out of the old stoned parish.

"Oh, Maddie. I'll definitely missed you." She squished her. Mathilda smiled and patted her twin.

"Me too." She said softly.

"My daughters are all grown ladies." A quite sniffed could be heard from their mother as she and her husband went inside the waiting carriage.

They followed through each of their own and signalled to returned to the estate.

Gilbert had shared the cosy carriage with his now new wife. He glanced at her with his ruby-coloured eyes from across the seat. Her gown was a pale freshly to a beige colour that complemented her violet eyes and the softness of her wavy blond hair was came undone the moment she got in. she was combing her hair as the last pin was removed.

Gilbert smirked, he sure would enjoy her company at home. Shame that he had to let her go.

Mathilda could feel that someone was watching like a hawk so she shyly returned the favour. The moment their eyes met. The quiet spoken lady blushed as the pale gentleman tore his eyes to the window, overlooking the trees and grassland.

The rest of the ride was in silence as Gilbert's mind was on earlier ordeal. He was expected that the pastor would bash at him for damaging a ladies honour but he didn't. He just had smiled softly at him and patted his shoulder and told him that he should be grateful that he was even alive. It was like the holy man could see right through him and it had scared him until they left that place.

The carriage had hit a hole on the road that had Gilbert jumped and smacked his face across the seat into Mathilda's lap. They both stiffen at the sudden impact that they blushed and rearrange themselves. Gilbert pulled away and apologized to her and continue to looked at through the window.

The moment a servant had announced that his brother had arrived. Ludwig take no time into waiteing and just walked(practically run) to the front door. And sure enough. His brother was helping Amelia look-a-like down the carriage. Yue walked past by him and came to hugged Mathilda as she demanded what happened at the wedding. Amelia butt in now and then and the three went in to the estate to talk about it all. Women. Ludwig would never understand them.

Gilbert casually walked up the stairs and smirked at his statued of a brother.

"Hey We—" he was rudely caught off as his brother grabbed, roughly on his neck.

"Whipped the smile on your face, bruder. You got some explaining to do." Gilbert glared at him and pulled his brother away from him.

"Ja. I will." They both walked to the library, leaving the rest of the members wide eyes as both of them were speaking in German.

They closed the door as Gilbert walked casually to one of the ceiling to floor shelves.

"Bruder. What were you thinking in marrying someone without father's wishes?" Ludwig impatiently walked in circles as his brother was relaxed as a cat. He carefully pulled a heavily thick book out of it and opened a random page, reading the text without any interest.

"Nein, vati should be happy that I even settled down in the first place." Ludwig raised his brow but still kept on walking in circles.

"Then you really married her out of pity?" Gilbert closed the book that had the younger brother flinched. He turned to face him with anger on his pale face and the colour of his eyes was not really a help.

"Nein! I married her not just because of doing what is right but I did it because wanted to protect her." Gilbert was spiting his words out like venom.

"But you said that you will marry whomever vati presented to you." Gilbert pulled his hair with his gloved hand.

"Like I ever followed vati after what he did to me." Ludwig nodded. Truth enough, his brother never listen to their father after what happened to the Hungarian girl Gilbert had a crushed on.

"I know what you're thinking. And Mathilda is not a replacement to Elizabeta."

"Then what is she?" Gilbert turned his head away; suddenly the pillars were a fascinating thing to look at.

"She is my wife. For now." Ludwig was taken back. He blinked his eyes and asked his brother in a confused tone.

"For now? Isn't she suppose to be forever?" Gilbert turned to look at him.

"Sure, if you are really to settle down and make some babies." He walked towards the window.

"But I'm not that kind of person." He turned too looked at his brother again.

"And this is what I'm going to explain about." Ludwig didn't like the tone his brother was giving him.

"Mathilda will be introduce to our father as a female guest wanted to see more of Prussia." Gilbert raised his hand to stop his brother from interrupting.

"I'm not ready to leave my post as the Emperor' most loyal colonel, West. Not when I'm at the top most of my career." Ludwig's eyes widen.

"But you're the heir and you should take your role se—"

"You know I hated all this nobility shit. I would rather die on a battle than gossiped with those fat aristocracies! That doesn't know a thing about life outside their fancy castle." Ludwig's mouth was agape; his mind was working over time. This was the first time, he heard his brother complain about them. Sure he known his brother hated their graceful cousin in Austria but he thought it was only him for stealing his childhood friend.

A knock on the door had both of them turned to look at it. Then a soft childish voice was heard.

"Is everything all right? We could hear you across the estate." Ivan said. Gilbert and Ludwig both blushed, they had forgotten that this was someone else's home and they were arguing. The only good thing was that they were speaking in their mother tongue that they were sure that no one would had understand them.

Ludwig then turned to his brother and whispered.

"We are not finished about this." and walked towards the door to opened and ensured the Russian that the whole lot was fine.

* * *

**A/N: Ah, finally. I was able to have a break from school. They changed the schedule this week that's why I would be able to have a good time to write on Wednesday. Happy me. But don't get your hopes up.**

**So much thank you for the favourites/alerts from this story. it made me so happy that someone was reading my work.**

**Do review as well. Since I improve my story through the views of my readers **

**Have a nice day everyone!**

**Bonus: the idea for Gilbert to fear churches was because they thought of albino's the work of the devil so they frown a pond them. That was of course base on research. Do correct me if you see that it was false. And albino usually affect the African or brown race. But they do sometimes affect the whites. It's just that they weren't that noticeable until their eyes are also red, because of lack of pigment. **

**Great Struton does really exist. it's a small parish that was built on the 11th centruty around Lincolnshire.**


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own hetalia.

* * *

"Just a few more pins." Yue said as she helped Mathilda rearranged her golden locks. She pick a brush and quickly, but gently, brushed the very nervous girl in front of her. Mathilda gasped a deep breath as she stared at the reflection in front of her while Yue clipped her hair into a bun. She was going to sail to French port and took a three days road trip to Germany. Sure enough, the idea itself would not be so bad. At least she wasn't on her way to Serbia.

But she was going to a foreign land with the gentleman she had married a week prior. And Gilbert hadn't really talked her about it. They didn't even share a room. He would talk to her like before the night he had took her. Ludwig had somehow remembered her when her sister was in the same room and he had a horrible scowl on his face whenever he chanced a look to her.

"There," Mathilda shifted her eyes to look at Yue's reflection on the mirror.

"Thank you." She said softly and turned around but stopped when Yue's gripped on her shoulder had tightened.

"Will you still write to me?" Yue's voice was a little tired and a hinted of anxiety to it. Mathilda smiled to her.

"Of course." Yue hugged her, which was a little hard as Mathilda tried to avoid hitting the very visible lumped on her stomach. Then she felt something jabbed at her. Yue also moaned and quickly, with a smile, rubbed her swollen abdomen. Mathilda looked with wide eyes on the scene in front of her.

"I guessed you will miss the birth of my child." Mathilda, with a blushed, touched Yue's stomach.

"when will it be born?" Without taking her eyes away from the foreign hand, Yue smiled with a glowing hint in her face.

"Somewhere in November." Mathilda silently counted her pregnancy then looked up with hopeful eyes.

"I can still travel by then." Yue was taken aback by it but still smiled at her.

"That will not be wise."

"But I wanted to be here when your baby comes. Please. It will also be how I can get information when it is my time." One of Yue's eyes twitched at the adorable violet eyes on the pleading twin's expression. It had somehow reminded of her of Ivan's when he wanted something. With a sighed Yue look away from those endearing eyes.

"Fine." Mathilda clapped her hands with delight. Yue smiled inwardly on the sudden turn of mood.

"Though, I personally don't like beginning an experimental thing to you." At first, Mathilda had a worried look as to she might had hurt Yue's feeling. But laughed with relief when Yue smirked at her.

"Oh, Yue. I hope I can go through with this." Yue patted her friend and they both walked down the listen hall.

"You have Gilbert with you. So you do not need to worry." Yue turned back when she noticed no one was beside her. Mathilda had stopped walking, all together breathing as she stared at the floor.

"You haven't told him." It was more of a statement than a question. When Mathilda nodded, Yue rubbed her temples as she pulled Mathilda along the passage. _My, this two pair needed to be more honest with one another_, Yue though.

Noises were getting louder as they approached down the stairs, servants were checking if anything was left for them to travel. There were a lot more luggage than to expect for two male princes and a lady. But it seemed that Amelia had planned her tripped back to America with her husband and parents the same day as Mathilda parted to Germany. Two separate piles of baggage were on the doorway, ready for the footman to move them to their respective carriage.

"I'm going to miss you, Mathilda." Mathilda turned her head to the much shorter woman and hold a few tears that were forming on her eyes. She hugged her one last time. Before another footsteps were getting louder by the minute. They turned to the stairs to see that Amelia was skipping with glee in her eyes and that Arthur was following behind her with a few more bags that was to be added to the overgrowing pile.

"I say, Amelia. This is too much. We would return within a month." Arthur scowled as he placed the remaining bags on the pile, after, of course, nodding a greeting to the two female staring at them. The doorway was opened and came in Francis with a smile on his face. Of course, he would return to his homeland by the end of the day. With his long hair tied up in lose white ribbon, he looked manlier then he let his hair down. Though, he said that his hairstyle was in range throughout France.

"Uncle Franie!" Amelia said with much more excitement than before. Francis chuckled at his niece childish ways even at her ripe age and married. Though, she was lucky that Arthur was a kind a patience man to his wife. But Francis would never say that to that English bastard that had snatched his beautiful niece from him. They glared a few seconds then ignored each other with an hmpped.

Yue rolled her eyes at the childish way those two were making. And they say Amelia was a child.

"Mathilda, we are ready." A occupants in the hall turned to the pale prince as he pop his head in the door. It was the signal that they must leave. The looked on her eyes had Gilbert heart shank that he turned away and said in before a cough."I'll give you a minute." He then left them alone to say their goodbyes.

"He is a good guy when you get to know him." Yue stated and rubbed Mathilda's hand before her twin pulled her away and gave a tightened hug.

"Oh MAddie. I'll write to you every single day and we can still catch up with one another. "Her sister's outburst had Mathilda smiled and hugged her sister in the same death grip.

"Funny, I know you hated writing."

"Yeah, but if it's you, then I'm willing to pick up a pen."

"I'm thrilled to hear that, sister." Amelia brushed her tear shed eyes and walked to Arthur. Francis patted Amelia's head before kissing her and left with Mathilda to the door.

There, her parents were waiting for them and they exchanged a few goodbyes and kisses before Ivan stayed that she will be late for the ferry.

She then was escorted to the carriage to be seated with Francis, as the two Princes had their own horses with them.

As everything was ready, the coachman railed the reign and they started moving. Mathilda looked behind her as she saw, her sister crying into Arthur's chest and that Yue had a sad smile on her face as Ivan smooth her with his caressing hand on her stomach and that both of her parents held their heads high with pride on their eyes. Tears had fallen from Mathilda's eyes as the scene was disappearing as they go further down the road.

Mathilda jerked when a hand had placed on her shoulder. She turned to see that her uncle had a worried look on him.

"Do not fear, _mon cheri_, I'll be there with you until you get used to being a princess." Mathilda smiled and wiped her tears as Francis gave her a napkin. She then went to seat beside him and hugged him until she fallen asleep from exhaustion.

"_Mathilda." The sweet sound of Gilbert's voice had Mathilda weak in the knee. It was after all her birthday, and she practically enjoyed it for the first time. Somebody had remembered her other than her sister's birthday. _

_She turned her violet eyes to look up at the scarlet ones staring at her with hunger and passion? She wasn't really that sure. The German prince removed his gloved hand and caressed her cheeks. Mathilda hold her breath as he bend down and gave her lips a quick peck. It was her first kiss. And she loved it. it was more than she had ever imagine._

_The man of her affection had given her, her first kiss! On the opened balcony of her uncle's estate in London. Mathilda would be screaming with joy, if she didn't like to ruined the mood._

_A warm breezed had her pink gown flow with the wind and her moan carried away as Gilbert dive in to kissed her exposed neck and pressing himself to her._

"_Your highness." Gilbert pulled away from her and looked at her in the eye. The moonlight had done their purposed by shining on Gilbert's silver hair and almost reflecting his pale skin to her slightly tan ones._

"_Please. Call me Gilbert." Mathilda's heart skip a beat as his flashed his all knowing smirk._

"_G-Gilbert." He swoon his pearly whites and pressed their lips together again. And pushed her to one of the railing. He kissed her soft lips with hunger and passion that he cursed to pull away as laugher was getting louder below them. Mathilda's blushed face had turned pale as the laugher, she recognised was her sister's._

_Gilbert pulled her away from the railing and into the hall and a random room after a few turns and up a stairs. Mathilda adjusted her eyes to the sudden darkness in the room. Gilbert let go of her hand as he look for a lamp. He found it. And Mathilda's eyes widen as they were in her room. Gilbert must have known this by the look her face was giving him._

"_Faith must be with us." As he kissed her cheeks and pulled her once again to him._

"Mathilda _mon cher_, wake up." Mathilda jerked herself up before her eyes opened. She blinked in confused until she heard loud noises, people shouting, metal hitting metal and the ship horn had echoed through her ears.

She turned her to her uncle, breathless. He smiled sadly at her.

"I see that you had a bad dream." He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"We are here. Gilbert is waiting for you." He helped her out the carriage. Her eyes were absorbing the sight before her. It was the first time, she uses this West India docks. She always used the much quieter London docks. But somehow, Gilbert preferred this port, for they approve transferring horses.

People were shouting to their companion as the steams of the ships were much louder than any other. Plus the natural noise of the busy London just a few feet away from them. Mathilda turned her eyes from the crowed and to the huge ship that they would be sailing in a few minutes.

She jerked and almost screams as a hand had slipped at her waist. She turned nervously at Gilbert's shocked expression as well.

"Sorry to frighten you. But we must go abroad now." Another ear piercing horn of the ship, had them almost running to get away from the noise of it all.

They run pass Ludwig, who was making sure that everything was in order, and Francis, who already found a female to talk, and went straight inside their assigned cabins. The moment they closed the wooden door. Mathilda laughed out her edgy mood and hold her abdomen as to be sure her baby was alright from the running them had.

Gilbert turned to her and smiled as she looked she was, for the first time, having fun for weeks now.

Gilbert looked at the room. Sure enough, the room was fully furnished for a night at the sea and a bed that can accommodate two grown persons. And a desk with ink and papers to write to love ones. And Gilbert was guessing, they are far from the chamber pot. Since Ludwig was the one who book them, he detested the smell of it.

Mathilda touched the surface of the walls, they were painted white woods, but she can tell that this ship had been working for some time now. And she pick at the small circular window. Which was a bad idea.

The moment she saw the raging waters, her stomach had started to flipped.

She quickly looked away with pale face and all.

Gilbert notice the sudden change of colour his, _wife_, had. He went to her and pulled her to the bed to lie down.

"Is your stomach upsetting you?" When she gave him a weak nodded. He pulled out a small bottle from his pocket and opened the lid to let her quick sniffed. Her colour had returned a few minutes later and she was able to seat up again without throwing her breakfast out for the world to see.

"What was that smell?" Mathilda asked in a soft voice as Gilbert scratched the back of his head.

"I do not know personally. But Yue gave me the bottle earlier and told me to give you a sniff anytime you paled." He looked at her violet eyes and smile, a nervous one.

"I did not know you are seasick." Mathilda blushed and thank Yue silently for not telling Gilbert about the baby. She would tell him. The moment she saw his father and told them then and there that she was expecting his child.

Gilbert pulled her into a hug. She was stiff at first and relaxes as her body remembered the smell and the warmth of Gilbert.

The ship horned again, this time it was muffled by the safety of begging inside and they could fell they were moving.

"You will love Prussia. But rest first. We still had a few more days ahead of us." Gilbert said as they lay down on the bed with a thug. but before, Mathilda closed her eyes. her mind went back to the dream she had about their first time. if truly faith was with them, then this child she was caring was planned out before hand. she looked up to see that Gilbert had visible dark circles under his eyes.

He might also be having trouble sleeping this past week for he somehow seemed a little thinner than normal. Mathilda removed her pins and seat up to look at Gilbert. he went to sleep right away.

"You must be really tired." Mathilda caressed the pale cheeks before kissing it and lie down next to him. breathing his smell as her stomach started to upset her again.

* * *

**A/N: Another chapter! Yeahay! But I don't really know how to write a tearful goodbye so hope this was enough for you all (even just a little?). **

**the docks here are all true, back in the 18****th**** century time. They called it that. But London dock was sold in 1969 and was sold to Tower Hamlets. And now they are all called London Docklands were a few other ports exist. Do correct me. And thank you for the reviews. That made me smile. **

**Reviews? **

**Have a nice day everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own hetalia

**A/N: Happy Birthday America! (7/4/12)**

* * *

Running blindly on a moving ship with a sick stomach was not really one of the greatest ideas for the blond female.

Mathilda gulped the lumped again, her stomach was demanding to spill all her breakfast content had she hadn't notice were she was going. She bumped into a hard wall, which she fell down on her rump with a groaned.

"Are you alright, Mathilda?" The thick German accent had her face blushed at bumping to her brother-in-law. Funny, how that sounded odd to her but in her situation now wasn't really her concern.

Ludwig helped Mathilda up and saw that her face was a bit green and flushed at the same time, if that was possible.

"You're seasick?" but before Mathilda was able to say anything. The muscular gentleman had practically grabbed her to a door behind him and behold. It's the chamber pot Mathilda had been searching for.

She quickly went to it and gagged all the content with tears forming her eyes. _This is humiliating_, she thought. As she was sure that Ludwig was frowning behind her.

The last of the content was out and her abdomen was sore from over contraction and she was suddenly feeling a little light headed. The smell of the room wasn't helping her condition as well.

She straightened herself and idly smoothes her pale pink dress. A small knock behind her had her remembered she had an audience. Though she took a deep breath and turned around, the door was close. A soft relief had escaped from her paled lips as to having a thoughtful brother-in-law.

With shaky hand, Mathilda turned the knob and was face to face with a worried look on the usual stoic face of the Prince.

"I'm fine now." Mathilda assured the Prince as he moved aside to let her pass. And with a soft "Thank you." Was said to him, but before she took another step. The vision of the quiet hall had suddenly been spinning a little. She would have fallen down the floor again, but Ludwig was aware and prepared this time. He pulled her up and held her by the arm and walked slowly to her room.

"Maybe we should request to move your room nearer to a chamber pot." Ludwig said. Though Mathilda only nodded her head as she tried not to feel uncomfortable on his arms. It was rather awkward as of now. Her face had returned their colour and much more as to her position.

What seemed like hours to Mathilda, had finally ended when a very worried Gilbert was walking towards them. He quickly grabbed Mathilda out of his brother's arms to his chest and smooths the small of her back and kissed her forehead.

"I was worried when you suddenly jump out of bed." Feeling a little out of place as the couple hold each other, Ludwig turned the opposite direction but after saying that, "Mathilda has seasick. Make sure to take care of her _bruder_."

Gilbert nodded at his brother and helped Mathilda to their room. Once inside, Gilbert gave Mathilda the bottle, which Yue had given to him, again to sniff as he went to the chair and stared at her.

Mathilda's quietly sniff the pleasant aroma and her head was pondering whether to tell her husband at this moment that she was carrying their child that made her stomach upset and not the sea.

"You should have told us you have seasickness, before Ludwig books the rooms." Mathilda's lavender eyes turned to the scarlet ones. His face was blank of any emotions so she couldn't quite tell if he was worried or just making an obvious statement.

"It doesn't fairly happen all the time." Gilbert got up from where he was seated and went to seat besides her on the bed. He lazily smoothed her exposed arms and murmured something that Mathilda hadn't quite caught it.

"Prince—"

"I thought I told you to just call me Gilbert?" Mathilda blushed and shyly looked away from him.

Gilbert noticed the sudden mood his 'wife' was in and cleared his voice before correcting his abrupt raised tone.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to shout at you." Mathilda nodded her head but refused to look at him. He then circled his strong arms around her that had her jerked up in surprised. She relaxed as Gilbert's head rested on the croak of her neck and breathe in slowly on her scent.

"Mathilda." His voice had suddenly turned a little lower and goose bumps were growing on Mathilda's skin. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" asked the shy blond girl. Gilbert raised one of his hands to stay on her shoulder and kissed her exposed neck. Mathilda gasped a breath as the tickle sensation turned to a different kind of feeling.

"For bringing you in this unprepared marriage." Mathilda froze to that statement. _Gilbert regrets marrying me?_ A sad thought had crossed her mind as she kept her eyes on the hall.

"If I had just controlled myself, you should not be in this ship but to the ones with your sister in." Tears were forming on her eyes, though she refused to let them go. Gilbert pulled away from her and continued to talk in his emotionless of a voice.

"I assure you, staying in Germany for a few years can let the scandal be forgotten and for you to have a new start in life."

"W-what?" Mathilda's voice broke as Gilbert continues his speech. It almost seemed as that he was stating his annulment now.

"Mathilda, I'm in no position to be a good husband to you." _Then what about a father_, Mathilda thought.

"I'm sorry Mathilda, I made a plan for you." Mathilda looked at him with tears filled eyes; some had already fallen from it. Gilbert inwardly shudder at the sight, he had hurt her to many times for yet another. He wiped the tears away from her flushed face.

"When we reach Thurnigia, I will introduce to you as a female friend wanted to see more of Prussia." Mathilda's eyes widen and the tears were falling with no control.

"Shhh, I'm doing this for your own good. You will be a fine wife to whomever you choose for a husband."

"B-but I want you." She unexpectedly grabbed him and cried, soaking his shirt in the processed. He patted her back, as to have no idea how to smooth her.

"It's for your own good." Mathilda jerked up and looked at him in the eye.

"No it's not. I'm—"a knock on the door had Mathilda stopped whether she was about to say and turned to look away from him. Gilbert looked at her sadly and went to the door.

Gilbert was pushed out of the way the moment he opened the door and saw the Frenchman.

"Oh Mathilda I heard from Ludwig that your sick." He gave an unexpected squealed as the sight before him. Mathilda's eyes blood shot red and tears were falling down her flushed cheeks and she was shaking madly.

"Mathilda!" as the overprotective uncle he was. He quickly went to her and hugged her as she continued to cry. Francis smoothed her with words of comfort while his eyes were staring daggers at the shocked German Prince. Prince or not, he was going to have a fight with his new found friend for hurting his sweet little niece.

When Mathilda's cry turned to hiccups, her mind was clear enough for her to made up an excused to let her uncle's worry lessen. When she got up from his hugged she smiled tiredly at him.

"Mathilda, dear. What's upsetting you? _Is it the German_?" the last statement was said in French. Though his attempt to not let Gilbert know was understandable. But Gilbert knows enough French to say he was talking about him.

"_No, I just my sister and mama and papa_." Mathilda's replayed at a different accent to it that Gilbert didn't how to interpret it. Francis raised his fine eyebrows at it. But if his Mathilda wasn't ready to tell him then he wouldn't pushed it and just accepted her excused.

"_Do not worry. I'm still here with you_." Mathilda gave a small smiled to her cheery uncle and turned to the door.

"_I'm sorry I worried you. But I feel like I wanted to go for a walk_." Mathilda stood up and Francis turned to Gilbert.

"You might want to escort your wife to a walk." Gilbert was about to do so but stopped when Mathilda's shock her head and firmly said. "Alone."

Mathilda closed the door to both men and walked slowly up the stairs of the ship to the opened. Cool and salty sea breezed welcomes her as she crossed the opened plate form the sun was warm enough to even the cool and she practically smiled at feeling of sun. Staying in England had lessened her time out in the sun and now she was free to just run, if not so for all the people clattered here.

Mathilda scanned and ignored French and English and other foreign people as she walked to a railing. Her un-gloved hand covered the cool railing and stared at the sea crashing wildly to the side of the ship.

She took a deep breath as to cool her mind and unbalance emotions. She was just a week away from seeing her soon or might not be father-in-law. Another saddens thought turned to her mood glummer if ever.

"What a pretty lady doing out here all alone." Mathilda jerked in surprised as someone talked to her. _To her._ She turned shyly to a tall blond man with green eyes. His hair was pulled straight up in a weird way that had shown his small vertical scar on his right forehead.

Mathilda was taken back at his handsome face, and turned around to look if he was referring to someone else. A small smile turned at his lips.

"You're rather funny. Of course I was referring to you." Mathilda blushed and looked at his chest instead. He wore a typical English suit and a blue and white strip scarf wrap loosely around his neck. He kind of reminded Mathilda about Ivan, who refused to removed his scarf even on a hot day like this. but his stone matured face told her another story.

"You're alone on this ship?" He asked as he lean on the railing besides her. She tugged at her hair and looked at him timidly. He turned his green eyes to her with seriousness in them.

"Do not fret little lady. I will not harm you. Just wanted to keep you company." Mathilda smiled softly.

"I'm just not used to people noticing me." The raised a brow at her.

"Really? A beauty such as yourself." Mathilda blushed at the complement and returned her eyes at the sea in front of her.

"A shy lady you are." She heard him chuckled.

"So are you going to France to fulfil your dreams?" Mathilda turned back to him with a shock look but smile at him after a while.

"No. I'm just stopping over."

"Really? And where are you going? I may ask." His attempt of a gentleman was flawless but Mathilda can tell he wasn't native from England.

"Oh to Germany for. .. Sightseeing." The scared gentleman laughed.

"Sightseeing? Maybe you should go to Amsterdam for that." Then it hit Mathilda.

"You're not a native of France are you?" a smile had broke to his face. Clearly shown his pride of his heritage.

"No, little lady. I'm from Holland." Mathilda smiled and imagine all her knowledge of that country. It wasn't many.

"So I presume you like milk and cheese." His teeth were showing now.

"Do English people only saw that in Dutch?" a blushed form on her cheeks.

"I'm s-sorry." He flicked his hand as to say he was fine with it.

"So back to my original question. Are you alone here?" the shyness had returned but she kept her composure.

"I'm with my uncle and… friends." his brows shock up.

"You're unmarried and alone in this dock? And I though English people hated without an escort." Mathilda was about to correct him but he change the topic again.

"Are you free this luncheon?" Mathilda blinked. Twice. He was asking her, about her company. But she was getting hungry as to her vomiting and she doubted that Gilbert wanted her present at the moment. So she accepted his offer.

"Great. Come, I had been to this ship before, and they served delicious fish here." The idea of fish was to ghastly for Mathilda but she gave him a smile and followed him down to where the dining hall would be.

Sure enough, this ship wasn't high class, but he wasn't lying when he said that they serve good foods here, Mathilda was enjoying her meal quite nicely with him. They shared some stories together. Though what she learned from him was that he was cold to other gentlemen but sweet and carrying to females. Must be that he had a younger sister to take care of that's why he knows what a lady needs.

"What's your name little lady?" she wasn't sure if she can answer him but since they shared a well and healthy meal together that's the least she can do.

"Mathilda." She wouldn't give him her last name, since she wasn't sure anymore what it was.

"Mathilda." He tried it on his mouth and Mathilda smiled at his attempt accent for French.

"Lars. Since I know you wouldn't give your last name. It's fair enough." Mathilda nodded and smiled at him. He had been a good company to get all her worries out of her mind for now and they talked some more. Mathilda was surprised that he was a businessman in his journey from London back to his hometown. Though she told him that she was a just here for her sister's wedding and she planned to go on a trip to Germany with the friends she had meant.

The next thing Mathilda knows that she was back the railing with him laughing by her side. He knows how to grab a women's attention from the sour.

As the sun was setting. Her mind came back to reality that she was getting nearer to France and that she needed to go back to her husband. Her foul mood had returned and she bit Lars a good-bye. Though he insisted on escorting her back to cabin.

When Mathilda opened the door. Two gentlemen were waiting for her. Guilt was running through her as she might have violated her marriage rule. Then she saw Gilbert's smirking face at his brother. They were talking about something in German and they stopped when Gilbert noticed her present.

He quickly went to her and check if she was alrgiht. A blushed had returned to her face as Gilbert hovered over her like a mother to her child.

"Are you alright? You had missed luncheon. Are you hungry?" Mathilda's heart skipped a beat as to why Gilbert was so carrying for her. Then she remembered what he said ealier.

"I'm fine. I ate lunch with someone." The looked Gilbert gave her was priceless. His scarlet eyes turned a bit darker, raged but quickly smiled at her.

"Good. Glad that you are well." Then he turned to his brother.

"We are about to this embark Deauville. You might want to stay." Mathilda nodded her head silently and went to seat down on the bed as both brother's continue their talking.

Mathilda stole some glances from Gilbert and a hope had flicker through her mind. Maybe he still had hope to change his mind once he knows he will be a father. She instickly rubbed her abdomen. And silently murmured to her unburned child. "Your father can be a little carefree sometimes."

"Is your stomach upsetting you again?" Mathilda turned her eyes to two pairs of worried ones. but she assured them that she was fine.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah hey! I finally about to make Netherlands appear in this. Though I'm not sure if we'll see him again. Maybe or maybe not. But Holland was they were called before.**

**And truth be told, Netherlands economy wasn't that great back in the 18****th****, their business partnership with England was declining and they suffered a little. Though they turned it around when they monopolized the East indie trading company. VOC was their official trading company. (and I learn that from devianart user dinosaurusdege's comics of Maaf. Check it out, she is a good artist and it's parallel to the real history.) This chapter was also a little inspired by it, that's why Netherlands is here. And plus he is nice to all ladies. But cold and hard on any living male. Though some of you might find him a little out of character here, sorry for that. I'm new to him. So I don't really know the basis and didn't make him say his last name because personally. I don't it. The usual I read about where either called Netherlands or Lars. **

**So if you know his last name. Please do tell me. I'm quite found of him. Thank you. And Deauville is a real port in France were its quite beautiful for its tourist post oh and back in the 18****th**** century. Germany wasn't really a best place for sightseeing. It's always either Amsterdam for the painting or Italy for the beautiful culture. (Correct me if I'm wrong).**

**Thank you for the favourites and alerts. I'm glad that people were actually reading this and do review if you feel like it. I will definitely aspirate it.**

**Thank you for reading and have a nice day everyone!**


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own hetalia.

* * *

"Alone." Then the door practically slammed on its hinges. Gilbert winced inwardly. That hadn't been the reaction from his explanation. He expected that Mathilda would be happy to be away from him. But he seemed that she like being chained to a monster like him.

A raffle of sheets turned his attention to the Frenchman left in the bed. The look he gave him wasn't that pleasing.

"My Mathilda may be too nice to really tell me what had happened. But I assure you, do not take advantage of her. She suffered enough that the scandal had removed her from more potential husband than you." Francis said with venom in his voice and left the still shocked Prince.

With a grunted, Gilbert rubbed his pale face roughly in frustration. _Why can't things go his way this time?_

Feeling a bit un-awesome as to let a young lady cried, Gilbert went to his trunk and pulled some unfinished documents he brought with him to Lincolnshire. Sometimes being a Prince had its down side. Like doing paper works, usually he left Ludwig do it. But today he wanted to get away from the messed he had created.

Stacking the papers, he read the complain and request from the subjects he might rule one day in Thuringia.

Too into his paper work. He lost the track of time but remembered that his still human when his stomach demanded something to eat. With a sighed, Gilbert rearranged the papers and stocked them up neatly before pushing the chair and walking his way out of the room. With long and steady stride, Gilbert walked with grace and elegant like he was trained to do since he was young and walked into the hall were the ship serve food.

Expected Mathilda to be there, but saw no familiar face, a frown had crossed his face. Mathilda must be really mad about him to missed luncheon. Guilt had won his appetite had he turned around and back to his work.

Halfway down the hall, Gilbert saw his brother. Ludwig smiled, and patted his brother on the back.

"Why so solemn, _bruder_?" Gilbert made a smile but gave nothing else.

"Had you have your lunch?" Ludwig tried to have small talk with his usually cheerful brother.

"Not that hungry." But the growled on his stomach had said otherwise. Ludwig cracked a rare smile and dragged his brother back to the hall he just went.

"Where is Lady Mathilda?" Ludwig inquired after they were given seats on the hall. The hall had so many people talking and laughing as they devour their food with hunger. The noise had quite help Gilbert relax a little somehow.

"She went a little walk." Ludwig raised a brow. But asked no more as their food was served to them.

Without really concentrating what he was eating, Gilbert caught something behind Ludwig and with wide scarlet eyes stared as Mathilda smiled and talked to a blond gentleman with a scar on his forehead.

Jealousy was boiling inside of him and hatred for letting Mathilda cried earlier. Suddenly the nooise in the hall was staring to get to him.

Ludwig notice his brother sudden attention and turned to looked just about time, Mathilda was talking to a guy he hadn't seen before. Turning back to his brother, who was consuming his food with haste.

"I didn't know that Mathilda had a friend board with us." Gilbert whipped his mouth with the napkin on the table and practically pulled his brother out of the hall.

"_Burder_ what is the matter?" as they quickly left without letting Ludwig finished his meal.

Back inside the Gilbert's room, Ludwig pulled free his hand and rubbed the slowly turning red wrist.

"Why did you do that?" with a bit anger in his voice, the younger Prince glared at his brother. Gilbert just shrugged and turned to look at his brother.

"The noise was too much." That was a complete and useless lie and they both knew it. Not wanting to but in someone else business, Ludwig dropped the subject. Clearly, his brother was having a marriage problem that both of them need to solve it out alone.

Ludwig turned his icy blue eyes to the table and saw the stack of documents and was shocked at how it got there. And more importantly his brother was going through it now as his seat on the chair.

"Your reading the work _vati_ gave you." An irritation grown at Gilbert's vein as to his brother's surprised voice.

"Why are you so surprised?" Gilbert turned around to look at his brother, standing in the middle of the room with a disbelief expression plastered on his face. Raising an eyebrow, Gilbert stern look had Ludwig walked and looked at the finished pile on the other side of the desk.

"You even put on suggestions on our people to attend the Oktoberfest on Munich." Gilbert shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not like he hold them captive, they should experience some fun once in a while. Plus, the Crown Prince is really an awesome guy. And he had the same name as you." Gilbert teased at the last statement and smiled a genuine smile for the first time since he left the Kirkland estate.

The rest of the afternoon, both Princes shared and talked while working on finishing the work. Both smiled and laughed as they, mostly Gilbert, joke and teased each other like the good old days were both of them were still infantile.

Gilbert stopped talking when he noticed Mathilda was at the doorway and quickly went to greet her.

"Are you alright? You missed luncheon." Which was a lie but he didn't wanted to told her what he had saw so he had to do something to cover up his suspicion. "Are you hungry?"

"I am fine. I ate luncheon with someone." That had Gilbert pulled back a little, he hadn't expected for her to tell him the truth that she had lunch with some other guy not her husband. He was then angry at himself for not being able to tell the truth to his father when he returned home. He quickly shook the idea away and smiled at her.

"Good. Glad that you are well." And turned to his brother a little stiff. Then it accord to him.

"We are about to this embark Deauville. You might want to stay." Mathilda nodded at him and when to talk to his brother about the preparation later.

A murmur had him and Ludwig turned too looked at Mathilda, seated on the bed and rubbing her abdomen casually.

"Is your stomach upsetting you again?" They were met with such soft and caring violet eyes that had Gilbert wanted to go there and comfort her whenever she felt sick. But she assured them she was fine.

^J^

As the ship horned again, Gilbert held Mathilda closed as they waited for the signal to disembark. France was a bit warmer than London had been and the night sky had Mathilda smiled to the familiar smell of France. She had missed this country.

When passengers were moving, Mathilda held tightly to Gilbert's arm, afraid of being separated from him and walked down casually with one of her hands pulling her shirt up so that she wouldn't trip down the ramped.

The moment her feet touch pavement, her smiled hadn't left her face and she turned to look at her uncle's gleeful face as well. It was like both of them loved this country more than anything in the world, even though this country had shared a few misfortune just a few years ago, with the fall of its monarchy, and Napoleon lead them to civil war. France had never seen anything gloomier than this. Plus, a cholera epidemic just happened to past last year here. Civilian had suffered that broke Mathilda's heart when her uncle had sent letters to them not to come here.

"Here, Mathilda." Mathilda tore her eyes away from the people walking a bit blindly with the full street light illuminating them to the carriage waiting for them. Mathilda went inside and was rather surprised as Gilbert seat with her. She turned to the window and saw that her uncle had took the Gilbert's horse and was waving at her with a smile on his chic face.

"Are you disappointed to have me as your escort tonight?" Mathilda jumped as Gilbert's hand had circled around her waist and pulled her to seat beside him. She relaxed more as he left her alone.

"I'm sorry." She didn't know that if she jerked or that the carriage started moving had her jerked as she turned too looked at him in the poor lighten carriage room.

"Mathilda, please forgive me for making you feel unwanted this morning." Mathilda hold her breath as she tried to picture his face from the voice he had. It felt like this was damaging his pride as how she could feel the violent shake beside her and it's not even the vibrating of the carriage.

"Its just that not because I wanted to keep my rank but you will not be happy with me being your husband."

"Why?" Gilbert blinked at this. He presumed that she heard about the rumours about him.

"Didn't you hear what people say about me? About what I am?" the voice Gilbert gave was like a lost child finding his mother.

"I'm a rake. A nightmare to all mama's for their daughters. An abomination to the children of the Lord!" Gilbert was poking mostly to his pale hair and skin, and a pity grown inside of Mathilda.

"But you're not."

"How can you say that? I'm a monster!" As shy Mathilda can be, she looked outside the window and tears were forming on her eyes again. But this time it wasn't about her. It was about Gilbert. She can clearly see that he hadn't had any self-respect to himself.

"I just know." Gilbert heard it but say nothing else as they silently seat there in silent.

An hour later, they stopped at a train station filled with people hurrying to catch the last train to Paris, but this time. Mathilda could clearly see that they were most French, going back to Paris.

Ludwig and Francis arranged a couch for them and for the horses and luggage. Mathilda was given a few minutes to relieved herself. They ate dinner on the train before going to their coach.

The room was small, but comfortable enough for them to sleep in as she took the upper bunker and closed the curtains saying that she was tried and wanted to turn in early. Though Mathilda didn't sleep right away, she could hear what the two Princes were talking and her uncle was discussing whether or not they would arrived at Paris before noon.

As the constant movement off the train lull her to sleep, she dreamt of her life in the future were Gilbert had made her marry someone else.

With a jolt, Mathilda quickly got up and regret it the moment her head collided with the roof of her bunker with a loud _thud._ She rubbed her head with a groaned.

"Mathilda? Are you alright?" the curtain was suddenly pulled away and her eyes dilated with the sudden glow of the morning sun. As her eyes adjust to the light, she was the worried red ones staring at her.

"Did I wake you up? I'm apologized for closing the door." Gilbert said and moved aside to let Mathilda crawl down from her comfortable and cosy blankets.

"You didn't close it. You practically slammed it." Francis said but he had a smirked on his face as he observed Gilbert examining the red patch on his niece's forehead and returned to his book. But after saying, "Mathilda, you should go and change your dress in the powdered room."

With a blushed as she looked down on her wrinkled dress. She hadn't got the chance to change in her nightgown last night. Not to mention she shared a room with men. One of them was her uncle but it was still improper and the other one was her 'husband' that already wanted to get her married off to someone else.

Then the gagging feeling again came to her. She quickly excused herself and went to the nearest chamber pot that was a few couches away and was glad that it was vacant. After finishing her content from last night's dinner had her stomach demanded for food at once. Mathilda growled inwardly for the impulsive change of what her body wants.

_Being with child was harder than I imagine_, she thought and exited the room where Gilbert was eyeing her weary.

"You sure have a lot of travelling sickness." He gave her the bottle again. She politely took it and sniffed it with a pleasant smile on her face.

After she had changed to a more comfortable blue gown, Gilbert escorted her to the train cabinet they ate last night. People were chatting that echoes through the suffocating cabins, while their spoons and forks clings to their plates. The smell of coffee and bacon was so strong that Mathilda's stomach demanded again for form substance that it gave away earlier.

Once they were given a table, Mathilda took the one on the window so that she could opened it and was glad that she was blasted with cool breezed of French countryside air. A giggled had escaped her lips that Gilbert's eyes returned to her from talking to the waiter. The window she opened had caused a commotion.

She turned to her side to see that women were scowling for the sudden air, since it was destroying their hair. With a blushed and a mumbled sorry, Mathilda closed the window with a defeated look on her face.

Gilbert on the other hand was observing his wife with concern. She seemed to be getting thinner, but he dismissed it as her occasional throw ups. The look of shame was on her face as she somehow curled more to the side of the train and started at the empty plate in front of her.

"You wanted to spend the day in Paris?" Mathilda looked at him in surprised. He surprised himself but he didn't wanted to take it back.

"W-what?"

"I mean, you practically grow up here, since Francis didn't stop talking about you last night. And we don't have to get back to Thuringia in a hurry. So," he looked up at her, and wasn't surprised to see that she had sparkled in her calm violet eyes.

"A day in Paris will be lovely, Gilbert." It was the first time she said his name and the smile on her face had made Gilbert's heart pumped stronger at its ribcage. The waiter arrived with their breakfast had destroyed the mood Gilbert was having but still glad that he didn't had to embarrass himself.

They ate silently; through halfway to their breakfast, Ludwig arrived and announced that their father had brought them an escort back to Prussia. Gilbert shook his head and smirked.

"_Vati_, didn't trust me to let you back without a sidetrack does he?" Ludwig just rolled his eyes and left the two as he talked to conductor about the dirtied washroom down their hall.

The moment Ludwig left, Gilbert smiled to Mathilda.

"Don't fret Birdie. Our father can be sometimes a stone faced as Ludwig but he has a good heart." Mathilda nodded and continue to devour her food with gleeful appetite.

Buildings were starting to show throw the window and Mathilda's smile never left her face as she was escorted back to their couch with her uncle reading his book, smiling as well.

"Great news, Uncle." Francis took his eyes away from the book and got up as to Mathilda was standing.

"Gilbert had allowed us to stay in Paris for a day before departing to Prussia." Francis smiled and hugged her giggling niece as she looked out of the window and observed the slowly showing of a city. Francis turned to see that Gilbert was smiling as well. But this time, it wasn't his usual prideful smirk but a true smile for seeing someone happy.

* * *

**A/N: Hope guys understand this chapter. Truth to be told, I was having a hard time researching about the trains in France since it hadn't started until 1840. So for the sake of this let's just assume it was made earlier and that the epidemic here was also a bit early.**

**But it started at 1832 and 1849 claiming 20,000 on the 1832 cholera epidemic alone. Paris wasn't at its peak at that time. And the fall of the monarchy in 1792 had the world shook on the consequence when you let your subjects to starve. **

**A quick history fact: ****Paris was occupied by Russian and Allied armies upon****Napoleon****'s defeat on the****31 March 1814****; this was the first time in 400 years that the city had been conquered by a foreign power.****The ensuing****Restoration****period, or the return of the monarchy under****Louis XVIII****(1814–1824) and****Charles X****, ended with the****July Revolution****Parisian uprising of 1830. The new 'constitutional monarchy' under****Louis-Philippe****ended with the 1848 "****February Revolution****" that led to the creation of the****Second Republic****.**

**Then again, you can correct me for any mistake I had made and just a reminder, I would not put a specific year they are in so that I can bend the history a little to want the fic would go smoothly but I will of course put and tell the real history in the end of every chapter if needed. Thank you for your cooperation.**

**I'm sorry for those how thought of Gilbert as a jerk here but I assure you, he will change his act after a few more chapters or so. So stay tune.**

**And thank you for the reviews and favourites.**

**Have a great day everyone!**


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own hetalia

* * *

"You should have told me earlier that you want to spend a day here, _bruder_." Ludwig's irritation was not missed by Mathilda, as he talked to his brother with a glared so intense it could set something on fire. Gilbert just stood his grown with a bored expression on the train; they just arrived at the Paris station, waiting for the rest of the passengers to leave before them to avoid any unnecessary pushing and shoving.

"I could have sent a message that we will be delayed for a day." With her shy demur, Mathilda tried talking to Ludwig without making him more distress.

"Y-your grace, it was because of me that Gilbert wanted to stay here. We could always go with your plan." Ludwig suddenly blinked at her, as if she was someone new and Mathilda was afraid that he might have really forgotten about her. He then turned to his brother, who was smirking at him.

"Do as the lady said, West. See if you want to crush her dreams of going to see Paris one last time." Mathilda wanted to comment of her crushed dreams but hold her tongue as Ludwig's anger was going away little by little. He pinched the bridge of his long nose and sighed.

"We could always stay here one night. But I will not promise any high luxury hotel on a short notice." Ludwig jerked a little as Francis surprised him front behind with a loud pat on the back.

"No need to worry, _mon nami_. You could all stay at my house for tonight and start our travelling tomorrow." Mathilda broke a huge grin and came to give her uncle a hug. Francis giggled at the affection he was used too since he made the twins do it anytime they were grateful to him.

"Then its settles. We will delay our travel for another night. Might as well get the bath you want, West." Gilbert teased his slightly blushed brother and walked towards his wife to escort her out of the train.

The busy station greeted them with heels shoes tapping on the floor and men grumbling about how late they were and friends or families laughing as they were reunited once again.

Gilbert held his wife's hand as they walk towards another exit. Mathilda eyed it and turned to her expressionless husband. She was about to asked but stopped when that impassive face had turned up to a smile that shows his perfectly white teeth. Mathilda then turned her curious violet eyes forward.

What she saw puzzled her, there was a small man standing with a passive facade with his clothes that resembled a little like a bath room. As they got closer, Mathilda hold a breath as the small man bowed to them and folded his hands in front of him again.

His black chopped hair was like midnight to his porcelain skin and his dept brown eyes that hold a lot of secrets had somehow scared her little to start on the wrong foot with him. He was not from any European countries Mathilda had known. He was from the East, like Yue had been. But he cannot be a Chinese, but he sure had a lot of resemblance to say he was.

"Welcome back, Gilbert-sama." His soft and respectful voice however resembled a few of Yue's heritage.

"_Hallo_, Kiku. _Vati_ sent you here to escort us?" The small man named Kiku nodded then turned to Mathilda with puzzled eyes.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't informed that we will be having a female guest with us." Gilbert laughed and patted his back gently but still, he stumbled a little and had a blushed on his porcelain face.

"West didn't say we will be having guests with us?" Kiku blushed.

"The last message we have received was last week, sir. Where he said you'll be leaving for London in a fortnight. So we quickly left Thuringia. _Moushiwake arimasen deshita_." He bowed again, but this time, he didn't bend upward and Mathilda would have presumed that he would stay like that until Gilbert said his free.

"Kiku." The serious voice had all three turned to Ludwig with Francis walking behind him.

"I'm sorry I didn't inform that we will be having two guests coming with us. Hope it's not a bother." Kiku shivered a little but shook his head.

"Not at all Ludwig-sama. But your father. . ." he didn't have to finish the sentence for Ludwig had already beaten him to it.

"I have already sent one when were on the train. I'm sure he will receive by now and ready two rooms for them." He motioned to the two silent blonds observing them.

Gilbert had somehow left them as they talked with each other and Ludwig had to make the introduction. _That sly fox_, Ludwig grumbled but left it as that. He knows he hated this sort of thing.

"Kiku, let me introduce to you our guest. This here is Sir Francis Bonnefoy. And we will be staying at his house for the night." Kiku blinked but bowed nether less.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kiku…?"

"Honda." Francis nodded his acknowledgement.

"Kiku Honda." They then both shake their hands. Ludwig then turned to Mathilda.

"This here is his niece, Lady Mathilda…" He stopped in the last name and stared at her whether or not to say their last name or her now maiden name. Mathilda got the idea when the intense glare was given to her, she then quickly introduced herself.

"Lady Mathilda Willa Jones." She then curtsy, that gave a blushed to the gentle Eastern.

"Konnichi wa, Lady Mathilda-san." He bowed as well.

Gilbert then made an appearance on his black horse from across the street and shouted.

"Hey now! Aren't we going sightseeing? The day is beautiful." Mathilda might have laughed at his carefree personal but hold her tongue as Ludwig's aura was a little too intense to make him angrier.

In any given day, Mathilda might have grabbed the opportunity to ride a horse, but in her condition, the baby might not like it, so she quietly declined the rein and went to the carriage. Not of course, without Francis giving her a side glance on why his niece suddenly didn't like riding.

The beautifully remodelled buildings had greeted the party as they rode alongside the busy streets of Paris. Mathilda opened the carriage window and smile to practically no one as her eyes observed the newest clothes the women of Paris wear. This was after all where fashion came from; she might as well grab a few new ideas to her soon to be renewed wardrobe.

Mathilda shrieked as Gilbert's black horse nudged her in the elbow. She could hear Gilbert's laugh and her uncle's disapproval.

"Sorry Mathilda." Mathilda pop her head out the window again as Gilbert's voice shown sincerity. She smiled at him and frowns when his offered his hand.

"What to ride?" Mathilda moved her eyes to the moving ground and frown. Riding sideways may not kill her but leaping the window on a moving carriage might.

"Not really." Gilbert just rubbed her chin and flicks the rein to move his horse to a full throttle. Mathilda sighed and returned inside her lonely carriage. And just observed how Paris had evolved since she last visited.

The white stone buildings sure did increase and the trees on the sidewalk did grow taller and thicker. Shops were opened and Mathilda could see some through the huge window wall. Some carriage had the latest design to their rims and their horses' had though peacock feathers tied above their heads. Mathilda pitied those horses. They seemed pretty cute to the humans but the horse must detest though itchy things as she had when the peacock hats were in range.

A knock on the other side of the carriage had Mathilda move their and opened the window. Her uncle's white horse had greeted her and she pulled her head up to looked at her uncle.

"_Mon cheri_, why aren't you riding?" she was expecting that. She and her sister was the best rider in all of Boston. And her uncle knew this. She had been thinking of an excuse the moment she refused the rein.

"Is the horse not to your liking?" Mathilda quickly shake her head.

"Non, Uncle. Is just that . . . I'm been out of practice and was afraid I would fall." Francis raised his brow and Mathilda knew he didn't believe her one bit.

"Nonsense. You and Amelia are the best female rider I had known and trust me. I know a lot of women." The devious smile had Mathilda rowed her eyes. She loved her uncle but sometimes he's more of a rake than Gilbert had been. Though their only a few years apart.

"Francis!" both blonds turned to Gilbert's voice ahead of the road.

"Were did you say your house was again?" Francis just sighed and said good-bye to his niece and rode his horse forward to his friend.

Mathilda was then left alone again but she savours the solitude for a few minutes after they arrived at her uncle's building.

The carriage stopped and Mathilda opened the door before anyone else did and she briskly walked up the steps but before she took the last one. Her arm was gripped and she turned to the ever so excited Prince.

"You think we came all the way here to just sat down and drink tea? This is Paris Mathilda, and we are going out for luncheon." Then she notice that her uncle was instructing Kiku and his company about where to leave their stuff and Ludwig was still seated on his black horse.

"And this time, you're riding with me."

"W-what?" Mathilda hadn't known what happened next. Gilbert practically lifted her up and placed her sideways on his horse. She instinct grabbed the rein when the horse had walked a few steps from the sudden weight. Gilbert then saddled behind her and circled his arms around her waist and Mathilda stiffens.

He might feel it. Her mind was working over time, her abdomen might still be small but the hardness can't be missed when you put it at the right angle. Lucky for her Gilbert didn't notice and just place his chin on her shoulder.

"Are you really that afraid of riding?" Mathilda didn't know that she was holding her breath until she sigh and relaxed on Gilbert's arm. She can feel Gilbert's lips turned up to a smile and flick the rein.

"I wouldn't go fast." True to his words, they were the only one left behind the party as he just let his horse walk the stone streets of Paris. People were staring at them, it was not because of two people were on a horse on the same time but it was because of Gilbert's appearance.

And the Prince knew this. But he concentrated on holding Mathilda, and noticed something on her abdomen. But left it as that, Mathilda's hands were caressing his on the rein. _Maybe letting her go would be a terrible thing to do_, he thought as they turned and finally arrived at the restaurant Francis was telling him about.

Gilbert dismounted and helps Mathilda off but not before noticing the wide eye of Kiku. _Right, he didn't know_.

As they walk side by side to the crowded restaurant, Gilbert didn't missed Kiku's question to his brother.

"Is she Gilbert-sama new conquest?"

* * *

**A/N: What do you think? Can't really write this long because exams has gotten on the way, sorry for that.**

**A quick history fact: Why is Kiku here? And he is not a servant but more like an exchange student or something like to learn more about the Western culture. It's their Meiji period in Japan and western culture had concurred the once close country. And if you read thie previous story 'Wedding'. Kiku had a vital role in Yue's life. We shall see what happens next.**

**In Paris however, since the time of Napoleon become Emperor, he had a vision that Paris will be the centre of all fashion, so he told his subjects to rebuild and beautify Paris. He succeeded of course. As Paris become the famous city for business and leisure to the rich and the most improved at their time. And i didn't put Eiffel Tower here because it hadn't been build yet. It started at 1887-1889.**

**Moushiwake arimasen deshita – a formal way of saying Sorry in Japanese. Thanks to Koneko144**

**Thank you for the reviews. That had given me the encouragement to continue writing.**

**Have a fun day everyone!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own hetalia.**

**A/N: Thanks to invisiblemanda for being so kind and took the time to edit and reviewed this chapter.**

* * *

"Sumimasen but I don't really understand what's written here." The shy Japanese, as Gilbert had informed Mathilda when they were given their seats by the window, asked as he placed the French menu on the white sheet of the round table.

The three blonds and a silver one all turned their heads from the menu to look at him with shock in their eyes.

"Right," Ludwig said as he moved his chair to get closer to Kiku as he bowed his head in apology. Mathilda was rather surprised to found out earlier that both of the princes knew how to read and spoke French. "It was a requirement for us when we were attending court." Gilbert had nicely explained to her a while ago.

As Ludwig explained each of the dishes on the list, Mathilda looked at her own menu and scanned it with dull eyes.

Her stomach might be hungry but most of it was not very appetizing to her.

When the waiter came to get their order and Mathilda still didn't know what to get.

"_I'll have an Aligot and beer_." Said Gilbert in fluent French as he returned the menu. He turned his red eyes to look at the small plant decoration on the middle of the table.

"_Steak au poivre for me and red wine_." Francis said and returned the menu as well. He looked at Mathilda for her turned. She returned her eyes to the menu and heard Ludwig placed his order. His thick German accent was noticeable, even in French.

"_Andouillette for me and a glass of beer." Ludwig said to the waiter, who was writing and nodding at the same time_

"_And Quenelle for him_." He pointed to the blushing Japanese and returned the menu.

Mathilda didn't have any excuses to her sudden loss of appetite, so she ordered the first thing she saw. She felt uncomfortable as all eyes were truend to her wondering why she was taking so long.

"_Pistou_." She returned it as well. The waiter confirmed their orders and left the party behind to serve others.

"Cold soup?" Mathilda turned to look at her shocked uncle. The chatter of the restaurant had suddenly softened but she knew that they weren't really paying them any attention.

"It's a hot day." It was a poor excused but Francis let it go when her soup was served. The white porcelain bowl was nicely place on a larger saucer with three slices of baguette. The soup, which smelled of garlic and basil, was not really a good idea to order after all, but she didn't want to worry her uncle. She took a spoonful and drank the cold brownish liquid. The cold did not please her stomach.

Gilbert raised his brows at her and said in a humorous voice.

"You sure you like that?" She turned to him and just nodded her head.

"Its… tasty. What to try?" With a smirked, Gilbert surprised her and everyone on the table as he took the offered spoonful to his mouth.

With a blushed on her face, she shakily returned her silver spoon back to the soap.

"Well, it sure fights the heat." Gilbert swallowed with a face on unspoken disgust.

The waiter served the rest of the food a few minutes later.

Gilbert ate his Aligot happily. It consists of mashed potato mixed with melted cheese and partner with roast pork. Ludwig ate his _Andouillette _that looked a lot like a long and large wurst. Kiku began to eat his_ Quenelle, _that was black and egg shape, with curiosity in his brown eyes. Francis savours his red wine and ate his butter coated steak with his usual like grace.

After their lunch, Gilbert request that Mathilda to eat at least a few sweets.

"You cannot be full just the soup." Gilbert pointed out as he called for the waiter for the menu again.

"I'm quite full already, Gilbert." The other three just watched the two bicker with each other. It was mostly Gilbert talking as Mathilda's soft voice was barely audible.

"That's can't be. Look at you." His emphasized with his hand as he motion up and down her body.

"You're so thin. And you've been growing thinner since we left London." Mathilda blinked at him. She wasn't aware that all the vomiting she did had caused her to lose some weight. But she was more shock that Gilbert even noticed.

"He's right, Mathilda. You had grown thinner since you kept on getting sick." Her uncle countered.

The waiter returned and Gilbert took it and ordered some _Profiterole_.

"_Bruder,_ you should ask Mathilda if she wanted that." Ludwig said as he stood to pay for their meal. Gilbert just smirked at Mathilda.

"I doubt anyone would deny those cute little creams of puff." He turned to Mathilda for any sign of argument but she was just looking somewhere else.

The moment the dessert came, Mathilda's mouth watered for those bake goods. Gilbert laughed as Mathilda ate the heavenly soft sweet dough.

"What did I say _bruder_." He teased. Ludwig just rolled his eyes and ate his portion.

They left the restaurant a little later than expected because Mathilda had asked for more of those cream puffs.

"I didn't know you like sweets like your sister, Mathilda?" Francis asked as they walked down the warm streets of Paris. They planned to buy some new clothes for Mathilda and Kiku. Since the young Japanese male was enjoying sightseeing more that anyone else here, they gave him the privilege to go _Bois de Vincennes first_.

"Uncle Francis, we aren't supposed to be here right?" Mathilda asked as they walked towards the opened field training ground of a park. Francis just shook his head and they kept on walking on the pathway.

"Nonsense. Monsieur Napoleon III had made this park opened for public." He waved his hand towards the large lake in front of them. Some couples were enjoying the afternoon sun in the cool of the lake.

Gilbert was bored the moment they left the restaurant but his became happier as they neared the park. He hooked Mathilda's arms and moved her way from the rest of the party to the other side of the park. Kiku was startled at this and once again asked.

"Is Mathilda-san Gilbert's newest conquest?" He had been living in the Beilschmidt household for almost a year now and he had learned that the oldest son was more of a playboy than his father.

Ludwig just sighed and gestured them towards the former training ground so the Japanese man could learn more about the Western history to write his book.

The couple went north and Gilbert stopped as they neared a huge lake with a castle behind it. Gilbert gave a low whistle.

"Château de Vincennes." Gilbert turned to Mathilda as she said the name of the white stone castle.

"You knew this castle?" without taking her eyes away from the castle she nodded her head.

"Well, I learned about it in books and what stories Uncle Frannie told of it." Gilbert smiled and patted her back.

"You like stories?" Mathilda nodded her head eagerly.

"Oh yes. I adore them."

"Really?"

"Yes. When my sister and I were young, I used to pester Uncle Francis to tell us a tale of any kind, but he usually told stories of old France. What I like the most was the story of Joan of Arc." Gilbert was not really surprised by that.

"And how the mighty Queen Elizabeth of England ruled all her subjects." The Prince smirked.

"I assumed you know the history of this castle as well." Of course he was only jesting. He was taken back when, without a hesitation, Mathilda surprised him with her knowledge.

"It was first built to be as hunting long back in the old days." Mathilda spoke with jovial expression as she recall her time in the town library, reading and studying the history of Europe.

"Three kings of France were born here as well." She turned her violet eyes to his bewildered scarlet ones. He had only met a few intelligent women thruoughout his life and one of them was Yue. Now, another promising woman was in front of him and he had the mettle to let her go.

He cleared his throat and grabbed her hand nearer to the lake as he saw something interesting to him.

"Wait, Gilbert. I do not like swimming in the lake." But he didn't stop until their shoes was inches away from the cool water. Even though the weather was warm, the air that swept by the lake had given them the idea that the lake was freezing.

"Shh. Look." Mathilda turned her eyes to where Gilbert was pointing at. There was a beautiful white swan with its long elegant neck crane up high, paddling on the middle of the lake.

"Is a swan!" Mathilda explained. Gilbert chuckled and pulled her down on the grass.

"Have you heard of the story of the 'Ugly Duckling'?" Gilbert sat crossed legged while Mathilda folded her legs sideways and shook her head at him. He smiled at her and continued his story about the tale that he knew would be a popular one for the future generation.

"It was written by a Danish poet. Hans Christian Andersen." With wide eyes, Mathilda was so into the story that Gilbert laughed.

"I can let you borrow his book. I have a copy back in Prussia." Her eyes had grown sparkles in it.

"That will be great." Then she remembered.

"Is it written in Danish?" Gilbert blinked then shook his head.

"No. it's in Ger—oh. Right. I guess I have to find a tutor for you." She then grabbed his hand shyly.

"Wouldn't you be my tutor?" his heart had suddenly beating wildly in his chest. He never met any woman to ask them to be his anything other than bed mate. There was Elizabeta but she left him in pieces.

"W-Well." He starches the back of his head and turned his eyes back to the lake. He shook Mathilda to let her look as well. Mathilda turned and saw that the swan earlier had now at least five young cygnets and another much smaller swan behind it.

"I'm guessing they're one big family." Gilbert then turned to Mathilda's somewhat teary eyes. Then he started to panic.

"What's wrong?" he was on his knees and cradle Mathilda as she suddenly cried in his chest.

The moment Mathilda saw how the baby swans were happily following their father and their mother was behind them, the reality set in that she was with child and her husband didn't even wanted to be hers.

What would she do to let Gilbert fall for her?

Eventually her crying had turned to hiccups and she was shaking violently in Gilbert's embrace. She didn't what to move of fear that he would let her go.

"Feeling better?" Gilbert asked softly as he moved her wavy blond hair away from her face.

They just spent the rest of the afternoon, lounging and talking in the lake side bed and observing how beautiful nature was.

"You will see more of this back in Thuringia." Mathilda had moved to give him some personal space and was plucking some grass beside her. She smiled at his comment.

"I'm sure I will love Prussia as much I have love France and America." Smiling with each other they turned their heads as Francis was walking slowly behind them.

With a knowing smirk in his eyes.

"I see that my niece had a fun time with her husband." He helped Mathilda up and was devastated at the grass sticking on her pale pink dress.

"_oh mon pauvre nièce_ look at your dress! We must definitely go to a seamstress at once."

Mathilda blushed and tried to brush the grass away. She was only able to get a few and was hurried out of the park into the late afternoon of Paris.

Most of the shops were closing but they were able to find one still open.

In private, Mathilda told one of the female workers to give her a dress that would be fit someone twice her size. Not wanting to argue with a customer, she nodded and get some stocked dress for her.

Mathilda knew her uncle will suspect something about her taste of clothes when they were delivered to his house later but she just had to hide the two plus size ones in her chest before he scanned them.

That night, they ate at Francis' house and complimented him on his cooking.

They enjoyed their night together in the Paris streets, as it was light enough to see its beautiful glory. Many couples walked happily around the well light streets.

The next morning, they quickly ate breakfast and readied for a whole day on the road. Mathilda groaned at the idea on the road for days. But lucky for her, she was not sick to her stomach that morning and it must be that she had eaten those somewhat, she craves cream of puff.

Before leaving, she took a couple of random books from her uncle's study to read her whole trip to Prussia. Which, Gilbert said would take four days to go.

* * *

**A/N: As I written above, special thanks to **_**invisiblemanda**_** for being my personal editor in this. Thank you!**

**I know how much hungry I was after finding this French foods in the internet, never really tried it personally (expect cream puff, they are like heaven) but I assumed they are tasty and delicious.**

**_Steak au poivre_ or pepper steak is a French dish that consists of a steak, traditionally a filet mignon, coated with loosely cracked peppercorns and then cooked.**

**Andouillette is a coarse-grained sausage made with pork (or occasionally, veal), intestines or chitterlings,pepper, wine, onions, and seasonings.**

**Pistou sauce, or just pistou, is a cold sauce made from cloves of garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil.**

**Aligot is a dish traditionally made in L'Aubrac region in southern Massif Centralof France made from melted cheese blended into mashed potatoes, often with some garlic.**

**Quenelle is a mixture of creamed fish, chicken, or meat, sometimes combined with breadcrumbs, with a light egg binding.**

**profiterole, cream puff (US) or choux à la crème is a choux pastry ball filled with whipped cream, pastry cream, or ice cream.**

**I also assumed that everyone knows the story of "The Ugly Duckling" by a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen(1804-1875)**

**Of course this story was first published in 1843, November 11 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Along side with the story of 'The Angel', 'The Nightingale' and 'The Sweethearts; or the Top or the Ball'. (I like all of his stories and I grow up reading them and knowing it by heart. But of course the Ugly Duckling is just happens to be the one on top…)**

**Then about the ****Bois de Vincennes, was really a park where Napoleon opened for public after being used as Military training ground in the French Revolution. Its had four large lakes and the one on the north has****Château de Vincennes an 14****th**** century royal castle. And three kings did born there, ****Louis X****(1316),****Philippe V****(1322) and****Charles IV****(1328). It's one of the main tourist attractions in French Parks.**

**Thank you for the reviews!**

**Have a wonderful day everyone.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own hetalia**

**Special thanks to **_**invisiblemanda**_** for being my editor.**

**A/N: Mathilda is about in her 4****th**** week here. Bear with me for the symptoms for all of it were all base on research.**

* * *

Mathilda was awoken from her slumber as someone knock loudly on her carriage windowsill.

"Mathilda, Mathilda!" The excitement in Gilbert's voice could not be missed as the carriage pulled to a stop and he opened the door.

"Come, Birdie. We are at the border of Prussia and France." He escorted the sleepy twin out of the too-small carriage. Being in there almost the whole day for the past three days was a little cramped to the pregnant lady. Every morning they had to stop and check to see if Mathilda was alright. They were getting so worried to her constant vomiting that Kiku wondered if it was possible she is expecting.

That statement had caused Mathilda's colour to drain and she stared at the Japanese man opened-mouthed. Kiku saw her distress so he quickly changed the topic and asked Ludwig for help in translating the German book he brought with him.

Mathilda released a breath that she didn't know she was holding and her uncle helped her stay comfortable with a few minutes' walk. Gilbert, however, didn't make a single sound the whole day as he, Mathilda assumed it was intentionally, rode up front.

That was just yesterday, and that morning in the inn, Gilbert practically ignored her as he quickly ate his breakfast and run towards the stable.

This was the first time Gilbert had talked to her for what seemed like a week but it had only been a day.

Mathilda steadied herself as her legs were a bit asleep from being unused for too long. She stared ahead. There greens upon greens. She turned to look behind her. There were also trees. But somehow, Prussia has a unique atmosphere that made Mathilda nervous to be in a new country.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Gilbert's excitement helped Mathilda to relax a little. She smiled because he was happy.

"Come _bruder_, we still need to get going if we wanted to reach Thuringia by sundown." Ludwig said as he re-saddle back to his stead and called for the rest of the party to get ready.

Gilbert pouted.

"Joy killer." He said under his breath but Mathilda heard it and she smiled at the childish act of him that reminded of her sister.

He escorted her back to the carriage but before she climbed in he placed a quick kiss that shocked both of them. They stared at each other, wide-eyed.

"Uhh… Yeah.." Gilbert was sudden tongue-tied, had Mathilda giggled and rubbed his cheeks.

"You're not a monster." She reassured him and returned back to the carriage.

Her mind went to the nights she spends alone on her assign room whenever they stop for the night. Gilbert might still think he is a monster for ruining her. She already had forgiven him the moment he showed his sweet side at the lake back in France.

At night, though, Mathilda was having a hard time falling asleep even though her body was exhausted. Her chest had started to feel a little tender to her whenever she put on her corset in the morning. The lonely nights in a foreign country hadn't improved her mood as well either. She woke herself up from crying once, and practically cried herself to sleep last night.

A few hours later, they were on Prussian soil. When they stopped at a nearby inn, Mathilda quickly jumped out of the carriage. For being stuck inside for too long, she wanted to explore the foreign country she kept off observing behind the window.

The moment her feet touch the soft green grass, a giggled had escaped from her lips as she turned to look up to the clear blue sky. A few birds were chirping in the distant. They were still on a forest road as she could easily tell from the thick trees that left alone to grow.

The small inn was warm with a few hanging decorations on the wall and a wooded floor. As they walked in, the smell of strong beer had turned Mathilda's steady stomach upside down. She nearly hurled a few times before Ludwig noticed her discomfort.

"Maybe we should just eat outside." Gilbert raised a brow at his brother, who tilted his head too Mathilda. He agreed with no second thought.

Gilbert escorted Mathilda out of the open again as she breathe a sigh of relief.

"You sure are sickly." Mathilda's eyes widen at his statement.

_It's because I'm with your child_, she thought but hadn't got the nerve to say it in his face.

Gilbert had worn his Prussian army minus the infamous Prussian blue overcoat. His black boots and crisp white pants and the black tunic had him look more like an outlaw, a very handsome bandit to Mathilda, than a rank soldier to the King and heir to a Province. Though, he still wore his 'Iron Cross' necklace that both he and his brother seldom take off. _Must be a military pride_, she thought.

Mathilda returned her eyes to where Gilbert was staring and was rather nervous. His scarlet eyes were baring holes into her stomach. She covered her arms around her abdomen and chest as his intense stare.

"G-Gilbert? Please stop. You're scaring me." Truth was that she was feeling ashamed, like she wasn't wearing any clothes to his hungry stare.

He turned his eyes to meet hers instead and offered his arms out.

"What to go for a walk before luncheon?" The sudden tender caused Mathilda's face to lighten up. She nodded her head and took his offering hand.

Gilbert guided her on their small walk into the thick forest. There was a small pathway that they followed quietly, just listening to the nature surrounding them.

They stopped, but they didn't let their hands go. Gilbert's gripped tightened a little.

"Gilbert? Is something the matter?" He didn't turn around to answer but kept staring into the distance.

"Mathilda, I don't regret what had happened the night I took you" Mathilda could feel her blood pumping up to her head as the memory flowed back to her system.

"The only regret I have is causing you to be the talk of the town back in Brit, but," he let his hand go and turned to look at her with intense fear and knowing in his scarlet eyes.

"Are keeping something from me?"

Mathilda froze. The once blushed face had paled as the prince stood in front of her.

Mathilda opened her mouth to say something but naught came out. So Gilbert inquired the nagging idea he had been tormented since Kiku made that possible comment yesterday.

He brushed her cheeks and pulled her into a hug. She buried her face at the crook of his neck and relaxed as he smooth her back.

"Did we create something that night?" The movement she gave him made his heart beat faster.

Then both of them were in silent. They just stood there, hugging each other, taking comfort from one another as something big that can't be undone was splattered in their face.

Gilbert was having a migraine as he absorbed the idea that Mathilda was with child. _His _child. He can't go on with his original plan. Somehow that had given him a smile on his face that he would keep this sweet lady in his arms all to himself. Then the idea of being a father had plagued his very sanity.

The child would turn to an awesome child like him. . .

Then Gilbert stopped his joyous sensation. A child like him, with his curse of an appearance was just not right. Mathilda ready did deserve someone better than a monster like him so had impregnate her with his nuisance genes. But he can't just let her go through this alone.

He saw how his mother had suffered when she was with Ludwig and she didn't live long enough to see her new son had blue eyes like her. That had definitely crushed Gilbert when he was a child. He had decided that he wouldn't get any women he bedded pregnant to avoid the pain that it caused.

Gilbert let go of the embrace and placed his hand on the abdomen of his wife.

Mathilda smiled as he carefully caress her slight hard stomach. Then Gilbert took a dagger out of his boot. Mathilda's eyes widen in fear and screamed.

Instinctively, she covered her abdomen with one arm while the other was backing Gilbert away from her.

"Stop Gilbert!" The determined look on his face had scared the life out of Mathilda.

"No Mathilda. That thing is an abomination that needs to be killed." Tears were flowing down like a waterfall as she tried to talk some sense to her husband.

"Gilbert. Its child is a gift from God. Please stop this." Gilbert tore his eyes away from her middle and looked at her in the eye with the knife still dangerously on his hand.

"Look at me." He roughly pointed at himself with great disgust in his eyes. Mathilda looked and she did saw a monster in front of her, so she slapped him, hard, across the face. Both of them were shocked and Gilbert to let go of the blade.

Mathilda quickly took the knife out from under him when he was still frozen from the whole ordeal.

"I see no monster." Her voice was a little jumpy but Gilbert could tell that she was fighting her fear.

"I only see a man who can't accept the reality that he will be a father."

The sting in his left cheeks hurts but Mathilda's words hurt a lot more. He was ashamed again to have hurt the shy but gorgeous lady.

"Mathi—"Mathilda run towards him and covered his lips with her finger tip.

"Shh. There now Gilbert. No more of this monster and self-pity." He stared at her with in disbelief. How could she still be so kind to him after what he was about to do was a mystery to him. But he was glad that she was like this. What he did was on pure impulse and he was sure to regret it later if he even hurt a single hair on Mathilda.

He relaxed as she smoothed his tussled hair and trace out his features with a small smile on her face.

"You're better than what they say about Gilbert. You said it yourself. Do not listen to their lies. You're not a monster. You're just unique man with a loyalty to his country like no other."

Gilbert shivered at her knowing words and smiled.

"Why? You're so sure about me?" she just grinned back at him.

"Let's call it a female intuition."

They returned to the inn, with both hands linked with each other.

The rest of them were waiting for them with plates full of food that smells like heaven to Gilbert. Mathilda smiled happily to her uncle as she ate her sausage, which was not so gleeful as those delectable creams puff that she was craving.

"What happened to your cheek, _mon ami_?" Francis jested at Gilbert's slightly swollen cheek. _For a shy demeanour, she sure had a strong hand_, Gilbert inwardly thought as he nursed his stinging cheeks.

They returned back to the road after their meal.

Mathilda was bored for being cooped up in the carriage. Ludwig, however, had assured her that they would be by Thuringia after sundown.

She turned her eyes away from the flying words of a book and look beyond the green meadows.

Gilbert had calm down after his ordeal and she was rather afraid that he would do it again. Next time, a slap may not be enough to snap him out of his fright.

What she learned from their talk back at the park was that Gilbert had grown up believing he was a monster because of the priest and other people frowning on him due to his appearance. Mathilda scowled that his mother did not defend him. He just shook it off as his mother was kind, yes, but because the town had cursed her for bringing a pale child to the world, she was mostly stuck in bed with depression and grief.

Mathilda apologized of course but he assured her that their subjects had regretted treating her like that when she died giving birth to Ludwig.

Mathilda jerked from her seat as she saw something in the green meadows. She knocked on the walls with haste to make the carriage stop.

Horses were whining at being pulled roughly and Mathilda jumped out of the carriage to go investigate what she saw.

Gilbert heard shouting behind him and he turned his head just in time to see that Mathilda had jumped from the carriage to run away from the gravel path to the meadows.

Fearful that she might had regret for forgiving him, his heart jumped with nervousness as he shouted for her.

"Mathilda!" He pulled his horse rein towards were Mathilda had run off to, ignoring the calls of the rest of the party.

Mathilda was sure she had gone a long distance from the carriage and was sure the thing she saw was somewhere near her. She crouched down and pulled her hands in front of her.

"It's ok. I will not hurt you." The white creature moved its head from side to side and slowing moved its paw towards the two legged animal that was following.

"That's right. Came here." It smelled the offering hand and found no treats , but she actually smelled so nice that the small, not even the size of a full grown cat, crawl up to Mathilda's lap.

Mathilda laughed as the white cub was finding something to suckle upon her chest.

"Sorry little one. But I'm not producing any milk yet."

"Mathilda." a horse bleat and the worried voice of Gilbert had her turned to him sideways as she cradle the little bear in her arms.

The moment Gilbert's eyes set upon the bear, he got out off of his horse and pulled Mathilda away from it. The bear fall to the ground with a limp on the soft dirt floor, causing it to cry.

Mathilda's heart went to it immediately.

"Oh come here, sweetie." She was pulled harshly away again.

"Mathilda, that's a bear. We got to get away from here. Its mother will be here in a few minute." Gilbert pulled her away from the crying bear had her stared back at it.

"But Gilbert. Look at her. She's all alone in the forest." He placed her on the horse.

"His mother will come."

"But his abandon." Gilbert stared at her but dismissed it.

"It's just a bear. It will survive on its own." Gilbert insisted and was about to mount the horse, he stopped at the intense glare of his wife.

"If you want a pet, I'll give you puppy or a cat. If that's what you want." She crossed her arms.

"You can't take care of a bear." The cry had stopped and the bear had walked its way towards Gilbert's leg. He stared down as it as if it wants to chew his leg off.

"He wouldn't bite." Gilbert turned to his wife with a look of disbelief.

"She's hungry Gilbert. She will die if we left her here." Gilbert grinded his teeth together as he thought whether to get the bear or not. Mathilda's hand went to touch his. He turned to look at her and she had a warm smile on her face.

"Gilbert, this may also be a chance for you to take care of her before the baby arrives." With a twitch of his eye, he picked up the cub and placed it gently on her lap. Then he saddled behind them and guided the horse out of the forest.

Before they were even out of it, Mathilda surprised Gilbert once more when she turned around and kissed him full on the lips with a soft "Thank you."

The prince blinked and smiled at the gestured while his wife had turned bright red and returned to face forward.

"The cub is white." Mathilda stated the obvious but she had it was the reason why she was so eager to adopt the abandon cub. It reminds her of Gilbert somehow.

"Grizzly are common here. Must have the same fate with me, being pale and all. Maybe that's why he was left behind." Mathilda cuddled the cub more.

"Don't hug it too much. We don't know when the last time he had its diner and I don't want you to be one." Mathilda smiled as his attempt to lighten the mood.

They emerged out of the forest and Francis quickly went to them and was relief to see his niece was fine.

"Mathilda, please don't run off lik—Is that a bear your holding." The moment Francis said the word bear, Ludwig quickly came to his side and sure enough, a small white Grizzly cub was nesting on his sister-in-law's lap.

"Relax, West. She just adopted a new pet. Welcome to the family of Beilschmidt…Uh. What are you going to name him?"

Mathilda smooth out the white fur and thought.

"I don't know. Maybe Maple?" Gilbert helped her off of the horse.

Kiku arrived with a shocked expression and shouted "Kuma-jiro!" Mathilda's face turned right side up.

"That's it. You shall be name as Kumajirou." She happily cuddle the white cub and everyone was either happy for her or fear for her safety.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to invisiblemanda for being my editor. She has great patience with my grammar.**

**Not much of any historical thing to say here. But there really are Grizzly bear and albinos ones in Germany. And Kuma is not Knut (R.I.P.) **

**Being pregnant can really be pain to some but a breeze to others. Mathilda here is having one of those hormonal imbalances that's why she cried easily and her motherly instinct is showing from how she wanted to kept Kuma.**

**And the Jirou is something the Japanese use to put at the end of the male name. it's more like a –san, or –chan but I'm not so sure. You may correct me for it.**

**It seemed Canada can't be complete without Kumajirou on his or her side.**

**Sorry for making Gilbert snapped like that. Please don't kill me. **

**Thank you for those lovely comments, please do continue them.**

**Have a great day everyone!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I don't own hetalia.**

**A/N: Special thanks to invisiblemanda for being an awesome editor!**

* * *

The cool summer night breeze had done Gilbert some good. He sighed in relief as he walked around the inn where they stayed for the night. After a harmonious dinner, Gilbert escaped the cramped inn to have a nice stroll to clear his mind.

Because the moon was nowhere in sight, he brought a light lamp with him. After seeing a nice patch of grass, he settled down and just stared up in the starry night sky. Owls could be heard from a distance as well as some summer nocturnal insects cricking their legs together.

"Mathilda." Gilbert silently whispered his wife's name as he reminisced the day's event.

She had surprised him once again by being too kind for her own good. Who would still forgive someone after they brought out a dagger to stab her—_their_ –unborn child?

Then another smile crept onto his face. His child. It actually warms his heart knowing that he will be a father after he once believed he was doomed to never having children because of his cursed appearance.

"I'll just have to tell _Vati_ that he doesn't have to find those annoying aristocrats women for me." He laughed at the image of his father's angry face for marrying without his consent.

Then his mind went his position in the King's army. All his life, his goal was to the most memorable general in the history of Prussia, but now he had to resign his rank to carry out his duty as the heir to Thuringia. He was, after all, born into it and raised up to lead his subjects.

He was a little rebellious as a child and easily escaping his tutors, and there were dozen of them. Math, History, Science and Geography was so bore to him. But he found his calling when he heard his father talk to that flamboyant Italian friend of his about wars and battles. That's when Gilbert's world change. He saw a purpose in him and that he wanted to protect those people, but mostly show off how powerful he had become. That change when he had tasted real battle in Waterloo where he saw soldiers dies, easily leaving their loves one behind.

Gilbert then sworn to be a better General someday. Guess he had to give up his dream and just start acting like his *** of an aristocrat cousin.

He looked back to the small white stoned inn and notice that the light was still on in Mathilda's room. He knows it was hers for he had checked her room before he left her alone in it earlier.

Without really much anything to do, Gilbert decided to quickly visit his pregnant wife.

^J^

Mathilda had changed to her soft cotton night gown and was happily combing her wavy hair in her cosy room at the inn. The sun had set a few hours ago and because of her sudden interest in adopting Kuma they were delayed. Good thing that Ludwig didn't get mad at her for destroying his schedule but she was happy.

She placed the comb back on her chest and turned to look at her sleeping cub who was curled up on of her pillows with a full stomach of milk.

She took a quill and dipped it on the ink pot. With a new paper, she wrote her thought and adventure to her dearest friend back in England.

After signing her name and sealing it in with wax, she climbed onto her bed and snuggles with Kuma. She called the cub Kuma since she kept forgetting what she first called him. They discovered the cub was a male from Kiku's inspection earlier and Gilbert was more than happy.

She idly smoothed the now clean bear as fatigue was consuming her again.

A knock had returned her to the real world and she moaned as she got up to entertain whoever was on the other side of the wooden door.

She grabbed her robe and opened the door with a startled when her uncle was giggling quite funny at her.

"_Ma nièce douce petite_!" he tried to hug her and Mathilda, afraid for her unborn child, moved aside and let her uncle fell face down on the floor.

"Uncle Francis!" Mathilda silently closed the door and walked to her uncle and helped him up to a sitting position. Kuma had woken up from the sudden _thud_ on the wooden floor and was sitting up on the bed observing the two people struggling on the floor.

Francis giggled again and Mathilda could smell the beer he had consumed.

"You're drunk. It's so unlike you to drink beer, uncle." Mathilda tried talking some sense to her already hallucinating uncle.

"My sweet, sweet niece. You're just too tight to let loose. I haven't seen you drink any wine since your birthday, dear." Francis hiccup and snuggled at his niece's lap.

Mathilda sighed and patted her uncle's long wavy hair which was just like hers. It wasn't tied with a ribbon like it usually was. _He must have lost it while drinking_, Mathilda thought.

Another knock on the door had her violently turned to face the door.

"Uncle, please let go." She tried removing her uncle's grip on her waist as she tried getting up. He gave a snort and was actually crying.

"_My dear Jeanne_." He moaned out in French and Mathilda knew she was in real trouble. Her uncle was grieving for his loss lover.

"Mathilda? Is everything alright?" The muffled voice of Gilbert caused Mathilda's heart quicken its pace. Once she was free from her uncle's clutch, she quickly got up and went to open the door.

As Gilbert walked up the narrow staircase, he heard a thud down Mathilda's hall and quickly run to her room and heard some mumbling and crying. Fear of someone might have hurt his wife, he knocked on the door.

When Mathilda opened the door, he blushed lightly at her opened robe to revile her white nightgown underneath. He may have already seen her naked but that was weeks ago and he didn't want to scare her for forcing her to anything.

"Gilbert." The blushed on her cheeks were not missed by Gilbert and he smiled at her and caresses her cheeks with his course thumb. A cry made him jump and turned to look beside her to see that French man was on the floor crying.

"What's the matter with him?" he raised his brow at his drunken friend. Mathilda shyly covered herself again with the robe and looked at her uncle with worry.

"Something must have reminded him of Jeanne." Gilbert turned to her with puzzlement. She invited him inside to help her carry her uncle on the bed.

"She was his lover before the cholera took her away." Gilbert nodded his head in understand and placed the now sleeping Frenchman onto the bed.

"I thought he didn't want to settle down?" he watch as Mathilda covered her uncle with care. He looked down when he felt something was pawing at his boot.

Kuma was nibbling at his shine boot and he, not wanting to upset Mathilda, just shooed him away.

"That was before he met her in Paris a few weeks after we had left for Boston." Mathilda tried to hold a few tears as how her uncle wrote the lovelies letters about her.

"He always wrote how saccharine and kind she was to mother and that he was planning to marry her when Amelia answered Arthur." Gilbert blinked at her.

"He knows about Arthur's plan of when to propose?" Mathilda shook her head.

"No, he didn't but he had assured our mother that Amelia would be getting one soon. He prides himself of being good at l'_amour_." She emphasized the last word with her hands and the twinkle of her eyes.

The quiet snore had both of them turned to Francis and chuckle softly.

"Come." Mathilda turned to Gilbert's offered hand.

"You can't sleep here with him. He might mistake you with his Jeanne." Mathilda smacked Gilbert's head for even thinking that bad of her uncle. But she followed him, with Kuma in her arms, to his room down the hall.

He opened the door for her and lit the lamp, blowning out the oil lamp he had with him.

Mathilda scanned the room with minimal interest. It looked much like her room with the medium sized bed on the middle and a chair by the window. A dresser was beside the door to the bathroom and the mirror on the opposite side of the room.

Though, the wall colour was not the same. Hers was being plain white while Gilbert's room with peach. Also, the window view in his road was the road while hers was the backyard greens.

She set Kuma down on the chair and stared out of the window into the night. She couldn't see much, as there was no moon but she could clearly see that some travellers where just arriving to check-in.

A hand had circled around her abdomen startled her and caused her to tumble back. she was gladthat Gilbert had supported her.

"Sorry. I wouldn't scare you like I did today." He kissed her temple and softly drew patterns on her still small but firm abdomen.

"Gilbert." She moaned his name out as he trailed down, leaving kisses at her cheek, ear and neck. One hand was massaging her abdomen and his other was touching her thigh.

"Mathilda," she moaned. "I hope you will forgive me for hurting you this much." she wasn't really listening to him but she nodded her head.

The hand on her stomach had travelled up to cover her bosom and she grumbled loudly. Gilbert thought for a second that he had hurt her.

"No." she plead weakly as he tried to removed his hands. "I'm just a bit tender now-a-days."

He then turned her around and kissed her full on the lips. The unspoken 'sorry' was unheard but Mathilda could feel it as he was a bit more caring than the first time.

He removed her robed as she unbutton his shirt and then tumbled back on the bed with the little cub sleeping softly on the cushion chair a few feet away from them.

Gilbert woke up the following morning with the sun shining through the window and the cub pulling at the sheets to climb up to join the sleeping tangle of a mess.

He groaned as the sun's ray shined through his sensitive eyelids. He turned around and noticed the warm body beside him.

He lazily opened his scarlet eyes and saw Mathilda sleeping soundly and still quite undressed. The memories of last night had him smile heartedly. He definitely would not regretted getting her pregnant and marrying her. It could have a better situation, but he like the idea she would be by his side no matter what.

There was a knock on the door followed by his brother's panicked voice.

"Bruder, wake up! Mathi—"he suddenly opened the door and was quite shocked to see his brother naked with the still sleeping girl whom he thought had disappeared. With a bright red face, he quickly apologized and closed the door.

Gilbert laughed as his brother's face once he closed the door.

"Oh West! You are hilarious." Mathilda stirred and blinked open her drowsy eyes. She hadn't slept that well in a while and the warm vibrating person beside her had her puzzled.

"Morning Gilbert." She said softly and blushed wildly as the remembrance of last night came rushing back to her. He surprised her with a kiss on the lips and placed his hand on her abdomen.

"This child will be the awesome just like his _Vati _would be." And he kissed her midsection, Mathilda laughed and was glad that he had finally accepted his child. He could have acted more violently, but he didn't and he seemed to be sincere when he told her he was sorry last night.

They suddenly notice that the sheet covering them was getting thinner and they both turned to the side to see the culprit who pulling it in a fail attempt of getting up into the bed.

"Here Kuma." Mathilda pulled him up and place it between them when Gilbert jerkily moved away from the bear.

"I still think you should get a cat instead of a bear." Mathilda pouted but she knew he would get used to Kuma soon enough.

Once Mathilda had returned to her nightgown and robe, Gilbert escorted her back to her room . They were side track by a trip to the chamber pot so she could empty her stomach from last night's diner. When she returned to her room, she changed into a more appropriate gown for the day. They were, after all, a few hours away from returning to their new home where Mathilda would see her father-in-law for the first time.

Breakfast was awkward as Ludwig kept on blushing whenever he had eye contact with Mathilda. she worried that she might have angered him or something in anyway last night, but Gilbert assured her that everything was fine.

"Mathilda, dear, where were you last night?" Francis asked his niece, who was still munching on the muffin with great delight. Mathilda swallowed and blinked at him with a small pink tint on her tan face.

"In Gilbert's room." The Frenchman's eyes widen and he turned to the said man, who was savouring his hot coffee. Francis then laughed his unique laughed that Amelia kept on saying was creepy. Gilbert looked up from his white porcelain cup with a puzzled look.

"What is the matter Francis?" Francis then went to sit beside him and with a grin so huge that it matched the plates on the table.

"You have finally accepted to be my nephew-in-law." Gilbert choked his coffee at this remark and was coughing at it.

"Let us not go and label that, shall we." Gilbert wiped his mouth and looked up to see that both blonds were staring at him. With a sigh, he patted his hand on his wife. Francis then thought of an annoying think to say to make Mathilda more uncomfortable.

"Have you two made amends and started making babies last night?" Mathilda spilled her drink and quickly apologized to them and took Kuma out to the desk to send her letter to Yue. Gilbert grabbed his hair and glared at his friend.

"Do you have to say that?" Francis just chuckled and grabbed the muffin on the table.

"It would be nice to have another baby in the house. I was but a bit of a youngling when the twins were born." He gracefully chewed on the muffin as he reminisce his sister's labour. Gilbert raised his brows at this with curiosity.

"How young where you when the twins was born?"

"Thirteen or maybe twelve." Gilbert did the mental math on his head.

"Mathilda just saw nineteen summers." He run his palm on his forehead.

"She is so young." Francis looked up from his drink but smiled at him.

"_Oui_, we're more of an older brother to them than a lover. "

Gilbert glared at his joke but let it go as Ludwig came into the breakfast room with Kiku on tow.

"We are ready to leave." He informed them and went to the front desk. Gilbert sighed and went outside to help Mathilda into the carriage.

Once on the open road, Mathilda hadn't notice that she was caressing her tummy idly until she felt like throwing up again. With a groaned, she knocked on the carriage wall and exited again with haste.

"Mathilda, I don't approve another wild animal living with us." Gilbert shouted to her and mounted his horse to go and get her.

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to invisiblemanda! She is an inspiring author.**

**History fact: Battle of Waterloo – I presume everyone know or even had heard of this battle. Even once. W****as fought ****on Sunday, 18 June 1815 near****Waterloo****in present-day****Belgium****, then part of the ****United Kingdom of the Netherlands****. An****Imperial French****army under the command of****Emperor****Napoleon****was defeated by the armies of the****Seventh Coalition****, comprising an Anglo-Allied army under the command of the****Duke of Wellington****combined with a****Prussian****army under the command of****Gebhard von Blücher****.**

**And since Gilbert can't be miraculously become a high ranking soldier without any battles. So I thought of the battle of Waterloo since we just gone to a brief history of French on the last few chapters.**

**Coffee- coffee was belief to be a 'miracle drug' before on its first discovery by Oromo people(Ethiopia) for it gave energy and life to the person drank it. then it spread throughout the Egypt and Yemen then by 16****th**** century, it was a must have drink in the Middle east, Turks, Persia etc. then with the trading started with the Arabs, Italy was the first European to be addicted to this 'black as ink' liquid. **

**As I had stated before, The Dutch East India Company had imported the most scale of spices including coffee to Europe. ****After the****War of 1812****, during which Britain temporarily cut off access to****tea****imports, the Americans' taste for coffee grew, and high demand during the****American Civil War****together with advances in brewing technology secured the position of coffee as an everyday commodity in the United States**** .**

**Jeanne 'd arc or Joan of Arc - ****A****peasant****girl born in what is now eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the****Hundred Years' War****. **

**I felt like Francis would have to fall for a French woman. But sad to say, I killed her before any of our main character to see her. Don't get me wrong, I love Jeanne and it's nice of a country to fall for his human.**

**Thanks for the review and favourite! Please do continue to support this couple.**

**Hope you guys have a blessed day!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I don't own hetalia**

**A/N: invisiblemanda! Thank you for being an awesome editor.**

* * *

Mathilda held Kuma a little closer than necessary as she stared at the huge castle on top on the hill with a quicken heart beat. They were in Thuringia now, a Prussian state that ruled by the Beilschmidt family.

The castle was made up with dark stones that shown its age. The vines circling at the base of the castle caused Mathilda to wonder if the garden was left unattended. The houses beside the slope were slightly more modernized than the huge castle with its Gothic architecture, surrounding by thick trees.

"Welcome home, Mathilda." Gilbert said with a gleeful tone beside her opened window. People bowed to their princes before going back to their daily life. Mathilda observed them with fear that these were the people that shunned Gilbert when he was still a child.

The carriage stopped in front of the massive door. Mathilda exited with bated breath as she absorbed her surroundings. The metal gate a few feet back had closed and Mathilda had to bend her head backwards to be able to see the tallest tower of the four cornered castle.

Horses were stomping their tired hooves on the stone floor and footmen were coming from the large wooden door to bow at them and unpack their luggage. Mathilda blinked when Kiku quickly went inside the castle.

"The awesome me is home Gilbird!" Gilbert shouted on top of his voice. Mathilda had a puzzled look. _Who is Gilbird?_

Francis came around behind her as she place Kuma on the floor. She wasn't afraid that he would run off as he had proven himself that he was attached to the shy twin.

Then, a constant chirping was heard from inside the castle and on one of the open windows above flow out a tiny little yellow bird that Mathilda had to blink twice at it.

The small bird chirped happily above Gilbert before setting itself on top of his silver hair. Gilbert chuckled and patted it with his finger. Mathilda smiled at the image Gilbert was making_. He sure knows how to take care of animals to let them like him so much_, she thought and his scarlet eyes turned to her.

"Mathilda, I'd like you to met Gilbird." The little chick tweeted upon the mention of its name. Mathilda smiled and curtsied at the little cute bird. She was never good at talking to people but animals always made her feel at home and wanted.

Gilbert then turned to the baby bear looking up at the bird like it was a snack. With a stern voice Gilbert couched down and muffed the bear's white fur.

"Kuma, this here is Gilbrid. He is member of the family like you. And not a snack." The bear just tilted his head, like he understand every single word. Mathilda giggled at the adorable scene. Gilbert would definitely make a wonderful father.

"Luuuddwwiiig!" A high pitched voice startled Mathilda and her head snapped quickly to a curvy female with amber hair that tied with a ribbon. Her sun-kissed skin was shinning with such health that Mathilda was sure that her sister would be jealous.

The girl, no older than Mathilda herself, was in a white blouse and green skirt. She threw herself at the younger shocked German Prince. She cried into his chest as she talked to her native language. _Spanish? Italian? _Mathilda wasn't too sure about it but she had heard the language before.

"F-Felicia." Ludwig awkwardly smoothed out the hysteric woman on his arms as his brother, Gilbert, laughed beside Francis, who was smirking at the sweet scene.

"Oh, Ludwig. You said you'll be back yesterday! You made me so worried that something had happened to you." She said with tear-stained face that Mathilda took pity on her for making her worry. Ludwig just stuttered his words and Mathilda had the mettle to even smile at him, for the usual composed face had turned crimson because of the girl hugging him at his midsection.

"West! Bad of you to make your lady worry like that." Gilbert bantered his already tense brother and patted him on his shoulder and prying the crying Italian of him.

"Felicia, it's good to see you again." Gilbert, with a huge grin on his face, hugged the petite Italian. She blinked her tears away and curved her lips up to a sweet smile.

"_Si_, it's good to see you again_, Mister_ Gilbert."

Francis moved from behind Ludwig and grabbed the young Italian's hand and kissed it softly.

"Bonjour mademoiselle." The chocolate-brown eyed Italian giggled and blushed at his gesture. Ludwig grunted from behind and cleared his throat.

"Felicia, this here is Francis Bonnefoy." Francis kissed her delicate hand again and Ludwig had to pull Francis away from her. Gilbert smirked at his brother's sudden overprotective behaviour.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mister Francis." Felicia giggled and curtsied at him.

"Please call me frère Francis." Felicia blinked at the sudden switch of French but was interrupted when Ludwig remembered his _now_ officially sister-in-law.

"Felicia, this here is Lady Mathilda." Said named jumped and shyly curtsied at her but was embarrassed when Felicia stared at Kuma at her feet.

"Such a lovely puppy. Are we keeping it, Luddy?" Francis laughed softly at the given nickname but said nothing more when Ludwig glared at him with his icy blue eyes.

"Felicia, where's your manner. You didn't introduce yourself properly."

"O-oh but it's alright, Ludwig." Mathilda assured him.

"Nein!" The sudden outburst of the prince caused both female shivering and Gilbert sighed at his brother's incompetence at handling women.

"Relax West. It's not like it's the end of the world." He then motioned for Mathilda to come closer to him and she idly went, with her face cast down.

"Mathilda, this here is Felicia Vargas. She is Ludwig's _special_ friend." Mathilda heard a grunt from behind her.

"Felicia, this here is…" _She is cute_, Felicia studied the beautiful but shy female as Gilbert made the introduction. She was happily smiling and observing her so much that she missed her name but the last word was not missed at all.

"What?" Felicia inquired. Kiku, who had somehow returned from informing the Prince of Thuringia about their arrival, stopped at the top of the steps as he froze in shock,

Gilbert giggled and pulled Mathilda to his side and proudly shouted.

"Mathilda here is my wife. She is a Beilschmidt." Mathilda's face exploded of different shades of red at Gilbert's way of showing he was proud of her. Francis smiled at the pair. They were being honest with each other, which is love is all about.

Ludwig just sighed at his brother's lack of any etiquette. He noticed that Kiku had frozen in place and he went to his friend and patted softly at him.

Kiku blinked a few before letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding. He turned to the blue eyed man and bowed before saying what his father had said.

"Aldrick -sama is with someone right now and would like you to wait at the dining hall while he finishes his task." Ludwig nodded his head in understanding and knew who his father was talking to. Since Felicia was here, it was a no-brainer that her grandfather, a very overprotective, _annoying_ old man was with his father.

"Bruder!" Ludwig called out as he walked down the steps towards his brother, who was explaining to Felicia who he had met his wife.

"Vati, wants us to wait in the dining hall." Gilbert just waved him off and continues to tell his tale to the easily impressed Italia. Why his brother had something for her, he wasn't too sure. He then turned to the two blonds, talking in French. Ludwig wasn't one to eavesdrop but he could easily hear what they were saying.

"_Please don't leave just yet, uncle Francis_." Mathilda pleaded. He patted her shoulder and smiled at his worried niece.

"_Of course not, my sweet. I'll stay as long as you needed me. Or until I see that Gilbert will treat you well._"

Mathilda then could feel like someone was piercing her back and turned around to see Ludwig staring at them a little too intensely.

"_Oui_?" she forgotten she was still talking in French but lucky for her, he understand that beautiful language well.

"My _Vater_, wanted for us to wait at the dining hall." Mathilda nodded and turned to her uncle, who lightly pushed her towards the double door of the castle.

"Do not fear, Mathilda. Meeting the in-laws is always scary. Just remembered to smile and look comfortable." Francis whispered to her before, Gilbert took her away from him.

Kuma followed easily behind Mathilda while Gilbird was flying above them with a few happy chirped.

The moment Mathilda stepped on the stone floor of the old castle, it took her breath away. She hadn't been to any castle as old as this one and her curious eyes were wide as a saucer plate.

Everything was made up of stone from the arched ceiling to the three other passages from the front door. Their boots echoed through the black and white chequered stone floor, bouncing the clicking sound back to the empty display on the walls. It felt like they were inside an old church. Mathilda knew that back in the old days all houses and castles were made big accommodate all the family members and servants.

There were also some gargoyles on each and every post looking down at them. Most them, though, were the form of a bird. Her grip on Gilbert's forearm was not missed by the prince, he smoothed her hand and kissed her temple to comfort her.

"Do not fear. They are guardians to this castle." Mathilda swallowed the lump and believed him. They turned and the one of the servants opened the double doors that led to the dining hall. The moment they were open, Francis gave a low whistle at the sight of it.

Unlike everything on the hallway, which was dark and gloomy, there were windows that were too high to even see what was beyond the walls. It was a magnificent sight to see. The dining hall bigger than the entire Kirkland estate. The walls were white and red and there were four small chandeliers in every corner of the room with a much bigger one hanging proudly in the middle of the hall. Below it was the long table that, Mathilda counted the chair, will be able to contain twenty or so guest. There was also plenty of room to add that much table beside it.

The floor was made of smooth and golden brown wood. The floor to ceiling windows had shown enough light for them to not light any chandeliers and the view was magnificent. Mathilda could see all that village of Thuringia. _It must be a wonderful sight to see at night_, she thought as she scanned the details on the walls. There were little golden lines circling around the red walls.

There was a fireplace on a few feet away from the door and there was a much smaller door, which Mathilda assume lead to the kitchen.

An elderly man, in a common suit, stood beside the fireplace and bowed to them.

In a low voice but clear as day. "_Mittagessen wird in wenigen Minuten serviert werden_ ."

Ludwig thanked him and went to escort Felicia to one of the chairs with set table set.

Mathilda counted the table set and she was happy that she was not forgotten. Gilbert escorted her to one after translating to the French speaking people what the butler had said. "Lunch will be served in a few minutes."

Mathilda sat a little too straight that her back was demanding she relax. But she couldn't when the smooth wooden table required her to be polite and stiff as a rock. Francis was talking to Gilbert while, Ludwig, Kiku and Felicia were enjoying their own little world. She was seated beside Gilbert, who was seated beside Francis to his left. Across from them were the three blond, amber and black hairs talking.

Then the butler rang his tiny bell and the small door opened. Two trolleys were rolled out as smell of fresh bread and meat had filled the room.

Mathilda's mouth watered for the lack of nourishment she had this past week. The food was place on the table and their glass goblets were filled with beer. Gilbert noticed this and called for a glass of water for his wife.

"Thank you." She whispered for only Gilbert to hear.

They devoured the food with much hunger in their system and mostly the hall was mostly filled with Felicia and Gilbert's voice, laughing or talking. Mathilda soon knew that Felicia, here, it Ludwig's Italian childhood friend but she could definitely see something more developing in their relationship.

Once they were finished and the table had been clean, Mathilda walked around the hall, looking thru the window. While the rest were chatting and catching up, Felicia was giggles loudly when Gilbert mentioned how Ludwig acted on Arthur's wedding.

Suddenly she heard a muffled voice getting louder and louder. Mathilda turned just in time the double doors slummed opened with two very tall and muscular males walked in. Mathilda squealed at the intimidating look the blond haired one was giving to the brown haired one.

"Come on Aldrick. You can't possible rule this state forever, why not let your son and my granddaughter their ble—"the hairy of the two said. His red shirt was folded until his elbow, showing his hairy forearms. Mathilda blinked at the tanned colour and the dark curly brown hair which was unkempt and thick.

"That's enough, Vargas!" The blond one said. He had icy cold blue eyes and straight long blond hair that had a small braid on side of his head. His pale skin, like Gilbert's , was more prominent as he wore a green tunic and pale brown pants and boots.

The room had fallen silent when both of them barged into the hall. Every pair of eyes were thrown to the Italian and German speaking duo.

It was clear that whatever they were talking before weren't resolved. The blond sighed and turned to the table.

"Your late, Gilbert." Gilbert just sighed but smiled at his father.

"Good to see you too father." He said with a cheery voice and the oldest Beilschmidt turned to his other son. Felicia had clenched her arms around Ludwig's in a death gripped with a fearful face. Mathilda could clearly see the twitch of the braided blonds' eyebrow.

"Romulus, could you please tell your granddaughter that she is too old be acting like a child." He turned to the Italian with facial hair behind him. Romulus just laughed.

"Let the children be, Aldrick." Aldrick then turned to his first born.

"Now, Gilbert, explain why—" he stopped at blinked his eyes at Francis. Francis just smiled at him.

"Bounjour, I am Francis Bonnefoy." Aldrick''s face then turned scarlet red, just like Ludwig's when embarrass.

"J-Ja." He then turned to Romulus, who just raised both his hand up in the air.

"What?" The Italian asked and Aldrick pushed him out of the hall. When the double door closed with a click, Aldrick then turned to Francis with a stern look.

"You're the guest that will be staying with us?" he sat down at the top table with a sighed. Once he sat down, Mathilda walked silently to her seat from Gilbert's side.

"Oui." The German Prince rubbed his forehead with his fingers and sighed another.

"Sorry about that earlier. I told Kiku to let you wait at the dining hall." Ludwig then cleared his throat.

"_Vater_, this is the dining hall." The oldest German blinked and his face blushed again. Mathilda assumed he must be under so much stress that he forgotten where he was.

"Right, please excuse me, for being inattentive."They all just nodded their head. He sure was under a _lot_ of stress.

"Please excuse me, I must talk to Romulus a little more. Until then. Gilbert will tour you around, _Mister Francis._"

"Wait, _Vati_. This here is—" he left quickly before he heard Gilbert finished.

"That was unlike Aldrick-sama." Kiku said and gave a sad look to Mathilda.

"Sorry Mathilda. Vati is usually more composed and not that IMPOLITE." Gilbert shouted the last word to the door.

"No Gilbert, everything is fine. I am used to it." Mathilda shyly said. She was hurt, true. But it wasn't the first time anyone forgotten about her. She just had to look at the bright side. She sure would not be pestered like most in-laws would since hers sure hadn't notice her.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to invisiblemanda! Check her out, she is a great author.**

**Castle, castle, castle. It was fun searching for ideas and looking at their interior. Hope you guys felt the feeling of being inside the Gothic castle of Beilschmdt, which is of course all fiction. There really is a castle in Thuringia but I am not using it since I can't disrespect the ones who lived there.**

**Gargoyle****is a carved stone****grotesque****, usually made of granite,**** with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down****masonry****walls and eroding the****mortar****between. So it it's an indoor design but it seemed more intimidating to have some of this statues staring down at you.**

**Eagle - A powerful bird who was said to be able to slay dragons.****Eagles****were respected for their ability to see far away objects, and were also said to renew themselves by looking into the sun****. Since Prussia pride themselves to be the Black Eagle in their flag.**

**Of course, Gilbert wouldn't awesome without Gilbird by his side.**

**The Ancients are here. I'm sorry what I did to Germania. I can't seem to make him as emotionless as what the fiction says but he is really under a lot of stress here with Grandpa Rome. Why I pick Aldrick (it means 'old ruler' in Germania) I seemed its perfect for it and of course Romulus is a much popular name for Ancient Rome.**

**I can't seem to make the 'invisible Cananda' joke here so I just made Germania stress. Because when someone was in under stress, they tend not to notice anything surrounding them. **

**Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews. They made my heart swell with joy when I know someone is readying the story. Thank you and please do continue. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much I enjoyed researching about castle.**

**Have a great day everyone!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I don't own hetalia.**

**A/N: Thanks to my well relaxed editor invisiblemanda!**

* * *

"Do you think that Uncle Francis will be find, Gilbert?" Mathilda puffed as they helld the stone wall for support while catching their breath. Gilbert tired to smirk but found it hard after running full speed around the huge castle to avoid Francis.

"He's a grown man. He can handle himself." After a few breaths, Gilbert turned to him wife. Her hair was in disarray from the quick sprint they took and she clutched her stomach as if it was in pain. Worry flowed into the prince's system.

"Are you alright?" He pulled Mathilda's chin up to look at him. He sighed in relief when there were no pain lines written on her beautiful face.

"I guess running isn't good for you now." He let her go as both of their breaths returned to normal. He scanned the gloomy stone walls and smiled when he realized where he was.

"Where are we?" The blond female inquired as Gilbert pulled her along the corridor.

"You'll see."

They turned another corner, and stopped at wooden double twice their height. Gilbert pulled the handle and pushed Mathilda in.

"Gilbert?" It was dark inside the room and Mathilda didn't move when she first stepped in as she was afraid that she might step on something. She could hear Gilbert walking around, cursing a bir when he bumped into something. Then she could heard cloth being moved and a sudden light shined throw the window.

Mathilda's violet-blue eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness easily, but she was having a hard time showing anything but a shocked face.

The room was huge, with an arched ceiling like the one on the front hall, but this room was filled with books, and the walls were made of smooth white stones. There was a hearth on the farthest side of the library and beneath the designed ceiling was a long decorated rug. Mathilda then moved her eyes away just in time, to see that she was standing a few feet away from a couple of seats.

She lifted her red gown as she walked down to where the carpet met her feet. She gave a quick scan on the well arrange books. Almost all of them where in German and a few in French. _At least I can read those_, she thought as she took a rather old book from the shelves and opened with a cough. The dust had come out of the thick bindings and she closed the book and returned it without having a chance to read the content.

A table with lamps were on the middle of the room, and she walked towards it and sat in the comfortable chair.

"I know how much you love books since I saw you reading a couple on our way here." Gilbert's voice echoed throughout the whole room and Mathilda had to turn her head around to see where he was.

Her eyes had caught a few world maps scattered on the end of the furnished table and Mathilda moved up to take a look at them.

Most of the map shows European countries and she moved a few to see America and that huge ice country above it. Funny, she had never been to Canada before and yet she loved their foods. Hopefully, her sister would remember to send her some of that delicious Maple syrup. German food was fine. She just missed the sweetness of it.

A loud thud had her squeal and looked up as Gilbert had put a stack of books on the table.

"Here is the book that I was talking about." He handled to her a well bonded book. She tried reading the title but couldn't. But she knew that author was written in fine cursive, _Hans Christian Andersen_.

She opened the book and saw a few illustrations, about the Ugly Duckling, and what seemed like a bird singing to a sick man. She smiled.

"This seemed a good story." Gilbert chuckled as he walked around the table and behind her.

"Of course it is. I would only recommend the best." She blushed as his breath was so close to her ear. She stammered as she went to sit on a chair and opened the book in her hands.

"C-can you read the rest of these stories for me?"

Now, it was Gilbert's turned to blush. _She sure knows how to act all cute_ he thought as he happily sat beside her and read the rest of the story to her.

^J^

What seemed like a few minute had turned to hours, as their stomach growled for food. They had spent the entire afternoon in the library and neither of them noticed until Gilbert's stomach demanded something to eat.

Mathilda helped Gilbert returned the books to the rightful shelves, giggling the whole time as she remembered how Gilbert told each story with different voices to each character.

They left the library and when to check on Kuma, who was running loose in the garden and giving the footman in charge of him a hard time by chasing him. Mathilda scowled at the behaviour her bear was giving while Gilbert laughed hysterically to the scene.

Once Kuma saw Mathilda walking down the steps, he completely ignored the footman and ran towards his master. Mathilda crouched down and picked him up while Gilbert thanked the footman and helped Mathilda put him in her room.

"You will not be staying with me?" Gilbert blinked at her question and it took a moment for him to realize what she meant.

"I thought you would like your own room, seeing that you enjoy your solitude." Disappointed, but Mathilda just nodded her head as she put Kuma down on one of the chair and place a plate of fruits on other side of the large stone room.

They left the room and were about to go to the dining hall when Mathilda was hugged from behind with a crying Frenchman.

"Mathilda, how could you leave your _oncle_ in the eerie hall like that?" Mathilda patted him and forced a smile as guilt was running through her.

A few more footsteps where walking towards them and Mathilda looked up just in time to see Ludwig and Aldrick, both having a stern look on their almost identical face to the pale prince.

"Gilbert." Aldrick said through grinded teeth.

"How could you expect me to take responsibility for you when you practically left your guest lost on the hall?" Gilbert glared back at his father and threw his pale hands towards Mathilda and Francis.

"I didn't leave my entire guest. Unlike _someone_, I know how many guest I have and I just took the person I wanted to go with."

Mathilda blushed at his statement and Francis smiled inwardly as his nephew-in-law. Aldrick was taken back at his son's statement and turned to Mathilda for the first time.

"_Ja_, and I'm sorry for not noticing you, Lady Jones." Mathilda winced at his comment.

"_Nein, vati_." Gilbert crossed his arms as he looked at his father, eye to eye.

"Mathilda here is my wife and your daughter-in-law." There was a silent after that.

Mathilda gulped as Aldrick just stared at his son with a scowl in his face. Both of their glares could kill someone if it was possible. The atmosphere in the hall had thickened with an uncomfortable feeling that even made Ludwig feel uneasy.

"V-vati?" Ludwig tried talking to his father and was cut off as he turned around with a last command.

"I'll see you after dinner, Gilbert." Once he left Gilbert gave a fake laughed and opened the door to the hall.

"Let's eat. I'm starving."

Mathilda had gripped Francis' hand a bit tighter and he tired patting her smoothly.

"Relax, my dear niece. I had spent the entire afternoon with him and he isn't that cold-hearted as he acts." He whispered to her and escorted her inside, where Kiku and the two Italian were waiting for them.

Mathilda practically ignored the well cooked pork on her plate. She was more scared of Aldrick than she was of starving herself. _Maybe he doesn't like me because I'm not German?_ Mathilda was having an inner war with herself causing her to missed most of the conversation on the table by Romulus about how pretty Italy is.

"Do you think so Mathilda-san?" Mathilda was jerked back to the present as Gilbert nudged her with a question.

"Eh? What?" Everyone stopped their talking and just stared at the shocked twin. Mathilda's face came into flame as she wasn't used to the attention. She fidgeted with her blond hair and awkwardly smiled at them.

"Kiku was asking if you want to go to Italy with us sometime." Felicia smiled sweetly to her as she noticed her discomfort. Then her grandfather smacked his hand on the table that had everyone jerked with surprise.

"Of course she will. Felicia what were you thinking asking about that? Everybody loves a good Italian cuisine." His granddaughter laughed with a unique, Ve~ sound that Mathilda found cute.

"Plus, the architecture is more. . ."

Mathilda had shut his loud voice out as she continued to stare at her food. Knowing that the rest of their attention was somewhere else, she was about to get up but stopped when Gilbert had a firmed gripped her forearm.

"Not yet." He said under his breath as he kept his eyes to the blissful Italian talking about his country. Then dessert came. What surprised everyone was that it was a French dessert, and Mathilda smiled as she noticed the cream puffs of heaven.

"Say, did Aldrick know the change of menu, Gilbert?" Romulus was only jesting as he had taken a hand full of those delicious pastries on his plate already. Gilbert just laughed and placed half of the cream puffs on his wife's plate.

"Eat up, Mathilda." Gilbert whispered in her ear before thanking Francis for baking this dessert that afternoon.

"These are delicious."Romulus said with some of the cream got stuck on his bearded chin.

"Si." Felicia said as she tried giving some to the blushing Ludwig.

Francis smiled proudly as how his fine cooking had made another person happy. Mathilda happily munched her cream of puff and finally silenced the growl of her stomach.

After everyone was finished, Gilbert escorted Mathilda to her room. He guided her up the stoned stairs and into a dark corridor.

"Gilbert, did you really plan on leaving Uncle Francis to cook the dessert?" Gilbert blushed as she smiled happily up at him.

"W-well, he volunteers to cook your favorite dish, saying that you weren't eating German food." Gilbert scratched the back of his silver hair as he was avoiding her sweet eyes. The hall was dark and the small glow on the light had made Mathilda more beautiful with a shadow effect.

"I didn't know that _Vati_ wouldn't be joining us so to avoid getting him angry, I just asked him to make your favourite dessert. If I had known that he wouldn't be joining us. I would definitely have given Francis full access to the kitchen."

Mathilda's heart beat faster as the words came out of his lips. He was truly looking out for her. She then gave him a quick peak on the lips before whispering "_Bonne nuit_." and closed the door to her room.

Mathilda sighed happily as she knew that Gilbert would be by her side and looking out for her well being. Kuma patted to greet her and she smiled down at him.

"Oh Kuma. I'm so happy." The white bear just sat down and tilted his head to her. She nudged his head and went straight to the bathroom, which she found out earlier was called a wardrobe by the servants in the castle.

The tub was filled with steaming water and Mathilda's smile grew more as she disrobes and went in to soak. A sighed of relief came out of her tired joint. She had been on the road for so long and it seemed like weeks since she had a real bath. She was content where she was now, even though her room was a bit creepy with the old century canopy bed and Gothic windows. Her bath, however, was modernized and the table seemed new. She would definitely write to Yue again.

Gilbert smirked when Mathilda had closed the door at his face. He seemed like a love sick puppy that he swore he wouldn't feel like this ever again. As he his body automatically walked to where his father would be, his mind was miles away from where he was.

He though back to the first time he felt this way. He remembered how he thought she was a boy at first who beat him at everything: archery, wrestling, swordfights and even won being a cuter in a dress. Of course, at that time he hadn't known she was a girl and that bet was definitely forfeit. She was also the only one who wasn't scared or mock him for his appearance. That maybe the reason why he had fallen for her.

"_Gilbert! You idiot!" Gilbert jumped at the shrieked his female friend made as she run towards him with what seemed like a pan waving dangerously in the air. He hadn't had the time to react as the pan had collided with his handsome face. _

"_Autch! That hurt woman." Gilbert, barely in his twenties, rubbed the sore cheeks. Elizabeta, who was panting and seemed to be crying, let go of the pan and rubbed her green eyes as she crouched down on the snow._

"_W-what's the matter?" Gilbert asked with a nervous hit in his voice. He wasn't that used to comfort anyone, especially not to this brown haired woman that had his heart. _

"_G-Gilbert, i-it's Roderich." The mention of his Austrian cousin had Gilbert's eyebrow twitch. That weakling music loving aristocrat would always pick a fight with him. He wouldn't believe his little brother saying that it _he_, Gilbert, that would always start the fight. _What those that little goody-two-shoe know about being awesome?_ His cousin had stayed with them since summer. _

_This year wasn't his best. He thought he would definitely be able to propose to the Hungarian servant, despite his father's disapproval. Right after he graduated from Cambridge, he bit good-bye to Arthur, his new step-sister Yue and England with the ring in hand. It was especially made for her, and it broke his heart, when he went home, unannounced as usual. He was surprised to see that not only was his cousin was here but his was kissing his sweet Elizabeta._

_He was frozen in place as he stared at both of them sighing happily and Roderich had even the guts to whispered softly to her ear. He wanted to punch him. He didn't even care that brown haired man was wearing glasses._

_He was about to go into the Great hall, but was stopped when a firmed hand had stopped his step. He turned to see that his father had his usual stern look but his usual icy cold eyes were softer now._

"_It's for the best." Gilbert just shoved his father's hand away and went to great his cousin with a bit hard smack on the back and a smile on his face._

"_His leaving for Austria tomorrow and its all thanks to you." Gilbert could see her breath forming in the cold winter, but he gave a unyielding look but on the inside, his heart was braking, knowing that this girl here would never be his._

"_What did I do this time?" He frowned at her. _

"_You're an idiot, Gilbert. He was just trying to be nice and you had to bark and ** him of everything." Gilbert's anger was boiling inside._

"_He's just a pussy for not being able to handle my awesomeness." She punched him right then and there. Gilbert smirked at her._

"_Look at you. You had gone so weak since he came here. What had happened to the mightily Elizabeta?" his mocking voice had set the distress girl more into a defeated look and Gilbert gulped the lumped on his throat. He pulled her into a kissed. The kiss was quick and sloppy that Elizabeta was struggling the whole time. When Gilbert let her go he said the one thing that he never thought he would say._

"_Go with him tomorrow. You are fired from this manor for punching the prince." Elizabeta was shocked but Gilbert was even more to himself. He left her in the snow and went to tell his father that he wanted to spend the holidays with the Kirkland. Then that was the time when Yue had gotten close to him._

Gilbert groaned for even comparing the two. Sure enough, Elizabeta had his heart but it was natural for a first love and he was naïve to even listen to his father and not proposing to her sooner. But now, he had Mathilda and he need to fight for her this time.

He knocked on the wooden door with a few graffiti he did whenever he was mad at his father. A grunt was heard and he unfastens the knob.

He stepped into his father's stone room, this used to be his favourite place when his mother was with Ludwig, but since her death his father had turned the once comfy room to a office like dungeon and his dreaded place.

Aldrick was seated at his favourite cushioned chair and his eyes were set at the unlighted fireplace. It was summer and the window was opened to let the cool night wind in.

"Vati." Gilbert tired talking to him to stop the silent treatment he was being given.

"What did you do in England this year?" his monotone voice gave no indication what his mood was, so Gilbert played the part of a good boy.

"Attended Arthur's wedding, being his best man and all."

"And?"

"Get a nuptial myself." Aldrick suddenly stood from his chair and turned to face his son.

"I don't believe you. Where is the proof?"

"I left it in England." Aldrick's eye twitched in annoyance.

"And pray tell why did you do that? You'll make a scandal with the poor girl. And you know the rules that you have to resign your post in the army." Gilbert clenched his fist with the statement.

"I know that and that's why I left the papers in England." Aldrick was puzzled at his son but let him continue his explanation.

"I only planned to wed her so that she wouldn't be ruined."

"_Mein Gott_." Gilbert ignored his father's shocked tone. Sure, his father knows that he was playing around with woman but his father was more surprised that Gilbert would pry on the innocents as well.

"But that's change now. I really wanted her to be my wife—"

"Those her family knows what you plan for their daughter? You sure enough ruined her chance of getting a suitable suitor." Now it was Gilbert's turn to twitch his eye.

"Nein vati. That was before I knew she was carrying my child—"that was not the best time to inform him that he was about to be a grandfather. Aldrick practically throw the chair in anger and he stared at Gilbert down.

"You pry on the innocent and left her pregnant? What is wrong with the head of yours, Gilbert?" Gilbert wasn't afraid of anything, but the current state of his father had somehow shaken him a little, but he wouldn't show fear.

"Would you let me finish? At first I plan on marrying her because of guilt but now I want her to stay as my wife. _Forever_." The last word was louder to make his point that he wouldn't have a divorce.

Aldrick sighed and went to sit down in his chair, his heart was pumping a bit too fast for his liking and he took a few deep breaths before acknowledging his son again.

"Are you even prepared to be a father Gilbert? You can't even act like an adult." He then grabbed a quill and scribbled a few sentence down before stamping his seal onto the letter.

"This is the letter of resignation. It's up to you whether or not you will send it to the capital for marrying or annual your marriage to continue your service." Gilbert took it and glared at his father much longer.

"I'm sending it. I'm putting Mathilda at my top priority now that she is with my child."

Once everything was settled and Gilbert had left to send the letter, Aldirck rubbed his face in frustration about his son.

"He acts before thinking." He then remembered the quiet lady staring at him in fear that diner and he must apologized to her for acting like a brute. He was somehow actually happy that she had made Gilbert more mature simply being pregnant. He'd just have to make another wedding plan to let them both have a proper wedding here in Thuringia and to make sure that Gilbert wasn't lying about leaving that wedding certificate back in England.

* * *

**A/N: Thank to invisiblemanda to her time to edit this chapter.**

**Sorry for the late update. School midterm was coming up next week and all my profs weren't that nice for giving us a lot of projects to finish before then.**

**History fact: When you're in a castle, your bathroom was called wardrobe. It was first used in the medieval times.**

**Great hall can also be the dining hall. It depends on the castle Lord how it would be called. And the rooms were usually on the second floor with their own wardrobe.**

**Of course, Italy by this time has a lot of culture, architecture to offer. Just after Napoleon wars, Italy was fighting for unification (1814-1861). T****wo prominent radical figures in the unification movement were****Giuseppe Mazzini****and****Giuseppe Garibaldi****. The more conservative constitutional monarchic figures included****Count Cavour****and****Victor Emmanuel II****, who would later become the first****king of a united Italy****.**

**The****Austro-Prussian War****or****Seven Weeks' War****(in Germany also known as German War, Seven Weeks War, Unification War, Prussian–German War, German Civil War or Fraternal War) was a****war****fought in 1866 between the****German Confederation****under the leadership of the****Austrian Empire****and its German allies on one side and the****Kingdom of Prussia****with its German allies and****Italy****on the other, that resulted in Prussian dominance over the German states. In the****Italian unification****process, this is called the****Third Independence War****. **

**Of course that has nothing to do with our story. I'm just basing this with how Gilbert and Roderich acted so that it would, somehow, explain why they fight a lot as cousins. Plus, Austria is like cousins to Germany for having almost the same culture and language.**

**Please don't kill me for making Hungary like this. It really seemed more realistic to me, one usually the Prince of a province can't really have any friends for they are always lock inside to learn. Seeing that their only friend would be the servants' children. **

**Austria-Hungary**** more formally known as the****Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the****Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen****, was a****constitutional****monarchic union****between the crowns of the****Austrian Empire****and the****Kingdom of Hungary****in****Central Europe****. The union was a result of the****Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867****, under which the****House of Habsburg****agreed to share power with the separate Hungarian government, dividing the territory of the former****Austrian Empire****between them. The Austrian and the Hungarian lands became independent entities enjoying equal status.**

**I used this basis as my Austria-Hungary pair. They seem so cute together. Don't you think?**

**Thanks once again to those lovely reviews and fav. Please do continue it.**

**Have a great day everyone!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I don't own hetalia!**

**A/N: Thanks to invisiblemanda for taking her busy schedule to edit this!**

* * *

_. . . . Gilbert didn't take the news quite well at first but he eventually softened to it. Oh Yue, how I miss you! Prussia sure is calm and green but I miss the unpredictable weather in England and the always sunny America. Being with child isn't also easy. How are you managing to carry such a heavy child and still looked happy? Mine is still small and I'm having an internal war with myself._

_Hope you and Ivan are doing well. Please write to me soon. _

_P.S. I have a pet white bear now that I named Kuma. I'll bring him with me on November._

_From your silent friend_

_Mathilda Willa Jones Beilschmidt._

Yue sighed at the word Beilschmidt as it was cross out from the letter. She had read the letter twice now while laying in her bed as she idly caressed the stubborn child inside her abdomen who wouldn't let her sleep.

"Be strong Mathilda."

A moaned was heard and Yue patted her husband's platinum blond hair.

"Yue?" The sleepy tone of her husband had Yue smiling at the cuteness.

"Go back to sleep." She whispered softly to him as she placed the letter on the table and extinguished the flame in the lamp. She snuggled besides her husband as she pondered on how to respond to the troubled Mathilda.

She definitely was having a hard time and she wasn't even at the Beilschmidt household yet. A warm breath tickled her neck as a large hand caressed her stomach causing her to moan and forgot everything she was thinking.

"Is the baby keeping you awake?" Ivan's concerned voice had Yue nod and lean into his soft touches. She gasped as the hand went lower and was softly lifting her night gown.

"Ivan!" Yue wasn't able to say anything intelligent anymore as Ivan's mischievous lips where on hers, kissing softly with care. He moaned as well when Yue's hand went to rub his expose back.

"It's in the middle of the night." Yue said in a murmur as she closed her honey-colour eyes to concentrate on her husband's wandering touches. Ivan just kissed her tummy while trailing down again.

"You're just too cute to resist Yue." Yue covered her mouth just in time for the scream to escape her swollen lips.

^J^

"Mathilda~ I made you your favourite crepes." Francis sang happily to his smiling niece at the table in the large hall.

They had been staying in the Beilschmidt castle for almost a week now and Francis took the liberty to taking over the kitchen at luncheon and dinner, always saying that his niece' health is the top priority. Aldrick was dismayed at having to eat the French food than his favourite German, but he now knew that shy, quiet, almost invisible girl was carrying his first grandchild.

"_Merci_." Mathilda happily ate the soft thin pastry. She did help Francis once in a while and most of her crepes were a little too thick to her uncle's liking but Gilbert loved it all the same. She usually stayed in the library or her room, since she was afraid to get lost on this huge castle. Gilbert was always busy now with his paperwork, so she was only able to see him on meal times now. That brought a frown to Mathilda's face.

He had been very attentive and supportive last week until that talk with his father. Gilbert had a hundred-and-eighty degree turn to be very distant.

"Lady Mathilda." The monotone voice of Aldrick had always frightened the twin. She quickly swallowed the half chewed crepe and turned to address her father-in-law at the head of table.

"Yes, sir." Aldrick's blue eyes were emotionless and stared at Mathilda only. The silent that followed was soon caught by Kiku and the rest of the occupants, though their Italian friends had left since yesterday. Ludwig, who was slightly relieved but still worried, stood from his chair and exited the hall with Kiku anf Francis behind him. Gilbert was about to get up also but stopped when his father called him.

"Gilbert, stay." He immediately sat back down beside Mathilda.

Once the door was closed shut, Aldrick pulled back from his chair to cover his mouth with both of his bended hands.

"How are you faring Mathilda?" Mathilda blinked and just nodded her head.

_She sure is a beauty, but does she have the brains to run this castle as the head Mistress? _Aldrick pondered within him but was cut off when his son's voice was rather loud.

"Where are you going _Vati_?" Gilbert asked as his father hadn't talked but just stared at Mathilda for some time now.

"Gilbert, I have faith in you that you indeed married Lady Mathilda here with a clear mind that she will be your wife until either one of yours dies."

"Of course." Gilbert's smooth answer wasn't enough for the German Prince to be convinced. He leaned on his hands and stared between the couple.

"I wanted another wedding in a month's time." Gilbert smacked his hand on the table which caused Mathilda to jump in surprise as the plates and goblets were lifted above the wooden table a little and crashed back down with clinched sound.

"_Verdammt_, don't you believe me?" Aldrick just glared at his son.

"I do believe you. I also do believe that this young lady here is carrying my grandchild." Mathilda gasped a breath at the statement. "And I just want the marriage to be in black and white on Prussian land." Mathilda blushed as the older Prince commented about her pregnancy. This was getting a little too uncomfortable for the pregnant twin.

Gilbert gritted his teeth together and sighed in defeat when his father gave no sign that he was going to back his words.

"Fine. We'll have another wedding." He turned to Mathilda and pulled her along the hall to the door.

"But the date, _Vati_, will be on our time." with that, he close the door behind his father.

The moment the couple stepped out of the hall, they were shocked to see that Francis and Kiku were leaning into the door and had fallen down to the floor when Gilbert opened the door harshly.

"We can explain." Francis said as both of his arms were raised in defence and Kiku was bowing low at them. Gilbert just snorted and pulled Mathilda along the stony hall to the front door.

"You left Kuma with Gilbird right?" Gilbert asked his wife as he called for a footman.

"Yes. Gilbert wha-" Her question was answered when a carriage was pulled just below the flight of stairs. Mathilda thanked the footman as he handed her her cloak.

"It might get chilly at night." Mathilda jerked her surprise head to him. He just smirked at her as he helped her inside the carriage and gave the directions to the driver.

"Gilbert, where are we going?" Gilbert was seated across from her, his long legs were crossed and his boots were hitting the carriage wall ever so slightly.

"I just wanted for you to see a little of Thuringa." Mathilda blinked, he didn't look at her as he kept on staring out the open window.

"Since this will be yours someday and I don't want you to be ignorant of your land." A small blush came to her face as she stared out with Gilbert.

They passed a few more village and markets. Almost all of the people, Mathilda noticed, were wearing Tracht. She smiled at the mental image of Gilbert wearing one as well.

"Why are you smiling?" Mathilda turned to face the German prince, who has his chin in his palm and was staring at her with ease.

"Its just that, I never see you wear any of your traditional cloths here. Even Ludwig." She gestured to his all famous white breeches and dark blue shirt and black boots. Gilbert was surprised that she even noticed that small detail.

"Well, we only wear them when we have a special occasion."

Mathilda's attention went back to the streets where a large number of people were coming and going. There was merriment and Mathilda's violet-blue eyes sparkle with enthusiasm.

"Gilbert, why are these people wearing old clothes?" _Old clothes?_ Gilbert then turned to her direction. He faced palm himself and cursed. He forgot it was Luther Festival week.

"Gilbert?" He smiled to her and said in gritted teeth. "Sorry, I was planning to give you a tour around Thuringia, but I guess I forgot about the Festival today."

"Festival? What kind of festival?" Gilbert raised a brow at this.

"Luther Festival, where the locals react the Reformation in the 16th century." The carriage stopped and the footman apologized to Gilbert saying the carriage can't go any further. He sighed and gave Mathilda her cloak while he took his dark blue military jacket. The King hadn't written back about his recognition yet, so he still had the right to wear his favourite cloak.

Once they were out and Gilbert told the driver that they wouldn't be long, he escorted the overly excited Mathilda through the crowded streets of Erfurt. The houses here were almost the same back at his town but here the buildings were left like in the medieval ages and added to the scenery with the people here dressed in the clothing of the good old days of Holy Roman Empire. He might have smirked if he wasn't so patriotic but people in the past didn't have really good taste in clothing.

Gilbert turned too looked at his wife and he remembered why they were here in the first place. He should have really thought about it before hand but he wasn't backing out.

"Mathilda, what to see a play?" Mathilda's eyes turned to where Gilbert was pointing at a small stage erected on the middle of the stone street. The actors were dress as monks and they were talking in German. Mathilda might not yet have fully understood that language, but they were good actors and she just interpreted their gestures.

She wasn't sure where the story was going when one of the monks looked like he was proposing to a nun. Now that had Mathilda puzzled, so she turned to Gilbert to asked what they were truly saying but he was nowhere to be found.

Mathilda turned around and just saw strangers after strangers applauding the actors. The excitement she felt had suddenly left her system and was traded with worry and fear. Though she knew Gilbert wouldn't leave her here, Mathilda was having a small heart attack and she helplessly pushed her way out of the crowd and into the street. She looked around her and saw no one she knew and she didn't know how to read any of the signs on the streets and building.

"Gilbert?" She tried shouting for him, but the cheers of the crowd drowned out her already soft voice.

She was a sitting duck to any thieves and bad man so she covered her arms instantly around her slightly swollen abdomen.

"Do not worry little one. Papa wouldn't leave us here on purpose." She then walked a little to a less crowded place. She knew everything was fine, but a few tears were threatening to fall of the fear that Gilbert was suddenly distant from her was because he was regretting marrying her.

She squealed when a rough hand grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.

"Mathilda?" the spiked blond haired man with a scar on his forehead was standing before her.

"L-Lars?" She blinked her surprised at him. He smirked and he removed the pipe from of his mouth.

"I wasn't expecting to see anyone I know here." He was wearing one of those Tracht and a blue and white scarf around his neck.

"Are you alright?" Mathilda opened and closed her eyes as she wiped the tears she didn't know had fallen.

"Here." He gave her a small white cloth and she thanked him and wiped properly her eyes.

He escorted her to one of the benches on the street and smiled at her as she recovered.

"You knew, every time I see you, you're either on the verge of tears or already tearing up." His low voice gave no indication that it offended him but just pure concern.

"Is your life really that horrible?" Mathilda smiled a little at his attempt to cheer her up.

"No, it's just that I just got lost from my husband." Lars widened his eyes at the information then his blood was boiling at this unknown husband of Mathilda.

"Husband? He must be a lousy one to lose you." Mathilda chuckled a little.

"His just under a lot of stress nowadays."

"Even so. It's not right to leave a lady as lovely as you out here all alone." He took her ungloved hand and kissed it. Mathilda blushed because Lars' lips were a bit cold to her skin.

Mathilda quickly pulled her hand away and placed them on her pink shirt and stared at one of the shops that sell boots.

"You came to Germany to sightseeing as well?" Mathilda was having a hard time holding the small conversation to the Holland man. At least he extinguished his pipe.

"You could say that. I'm supposed to go straight to Holland but the train was cancelled until next week. So why not spend the week here. The festival are always fun here." He turned to face her.

"Seeing you again is just a plus." He smiled happily at her. Mathilda quickly turned her grazed away. Looking into his green eyes was heart-warming indeed.

"Mathilda!" Gilbert's concern voice had both blonds turned to the pale prince running towards them

Lars smirked and got up and offered his hand for a shake.

"You must be the inattentive husband of this young lady here." Gilbert's eyebrows twitched in annoyance.

"And you are?" Lars smirked at him.

"A friend of your lady." Gilbert might have punched the brute but Mathilda stopped him.

"It's so nice to you again Lars." Mathilda happily curtsied to the blushing Holland and he bowed like an Englishman.

"The pleasure is mine Mathilda." Then that was it. Lars left the couple to another stranger wearing the same clothes as the Hollander.

"Is he the guy you met on the ship?" Gilbert asked with grinned teeth. Mathilda turned her head in puzzlement. She knew she didn't tell him about the friend she made on the ship.

"Yes, how did you know?" Gilbert just shrugged his broad shoulders and pulled her away from the darkening streets.

"Why did you leave the play? Did you not like it?" Gilbert asked softly. He didn't want his temper to scare his already frighten wife. He was sweating of fear that something might had happened to Mathilda when he returned back from the blacksmith. She wasn't there when he had left her on the middle of the play. They stopped by on a shop that sells sweets and Mathilda scanned the offering on display.

It was late in the afternoon and there wasn't much to choose from anyway.

"It's not that. I left because I thought we were separated. So I looked for you, but I didn't find you."

Gilbert nodded his head as he gave the right amount of coins for the chocolates he bought. Mathilda blinked him.

"I didn't know you like sweets." Gilbert blushed as he escorted her out of the shop to the street once again.

"Not so much but this is for Ludwig." Mathilda smiled at the image of the stone tough exterior of the younger prince to like sweets. They say 'don't judge a book by its cover' sure is true.

"That's sweet of you."

Gilbert stopped as he notice a few of the people were going in the taverns and pulled Mathilda to a nearby tree.

"What's the matter?" Mathilda was surprised though when Gilbert slipped a golden ring on her right ring finger. Her heart was pounding inside her chest like before but this time it was full of joy and happiness.

Gilbert was blushing like a mad man and he wasn't even looking at her, just her right hand with the ring on it.

"I wasn't prepared the first time I married you." Then his scarlet eyes turned to look at her shocked ones.

"But this time," He got down on one knee and kissed her hand like the first time they met on the streets of London.

"Mathilda Willa Jones. Will you take this prince to be you husband? Not because of what others might think. But because this prince is in love with you." Mathilda's breath had caught in her throat. She was shaking from inside out. Someone other than her family loves her. She forced a smile but it was hard as she went down with Gilbert to hugged him. The feeling was overwhelming.

"Oui, Yes. Ja!" Gilbert smirked at her attempt to say every language she knew about. He then kissed her lips and pulled her up.

"_Ich liebe dich_, Mathilda." Blood had run towards up to her face covered the already blushing Mathilda and she shyly smiled at him.

The way back was a quite one. Mathilda had fallen asleep on his shoulder and his mind was away again. His eyes, though, were locked on the ring he had given her. He had been thinking about giving her one the moment they arrived at Thuringia last week. Luck was on his side when the day after he had a talk with his father, he met a blacksmith at his town and he said he would make a ring for his special lady. He was so happy that he accepted the blacksmith's offer with really thinking where he might be by the end of the week, which was here in Erfurt. This trip had also almost lost MAthilda in the crowd.

He should really check the dates on this festival.

Once they were back in the Beilschmidt castle, Mathilda was blushing so much that she couldn't express her happiness more than ever. Fortunately, her uncle knew about love and he didn't need for her to explain why she was acting like this. But before dinner came, Francis found the couple cuddling with the bear and bird on the couch.

Mathilda laughed her heart out as Gilbert's attempt to lecture the bear on peeing on the rugs.

"That rug is even older than the awesome me. You better behave yourself you little—" A cough had them turned to the smiling Frenchman.

"A package has arrived for you Mathilda and guess who it's from." Mathilda run towards her uncle as he gave her the brown box.

_To:Mathilda Beislchmidt_

_From Amelia and Arthur Kirkland._

Mathilda beamed as she opened the box and squealed more in delight as a bottle of her favourite maple syrup was in it, along with a letter to her and for her uncle.

"Uncle Francis, this one is for you." Francis happily took the letter from Mathilda and read it. What surprised him was that Amelia was asking how Mathilda's body was? _How did she know about her sickness?_ _Do they have twin telepathy?_ Francis pondered on this and left the couple to go to his room.

^J^

"Lady Yue, a letter for you." Yue covered her book as she thanked the footman before reading the letter from Mathilda.

She opened it and smile that Mathilda was happy for once and that Gilbert had acknowledge her existence. Yue's brows frown at the mention of a Japanese man name Kiku living with them.

"It must just a coincidence." Yue whispered as the rain outside had her memories returned to her younger brother back in China. _How is he? Had he taken a wife yet?_ Yue was so into her daydream that she hadn't notice Ivan had arrived from his ride soaking wet.

"Yue?" Yue turned to looked at her soaked husband and laughed. She got up from her chair and helped him with his wet clothes.

"Your so childish." She happily said, forgetting that a few moments ago she was in her darkness hours.

* * *

**A/N: thanks to invisiblemanda for editing this chapter! You have been my editor for two months now:D**

**Is Netherland being here a little too much? Comments? Or anything?**

**Never got proposed before, I guess you feel very happy and jumpy right?**

**_History Facts_:**

**Erfurt is a small city in the region of Thuringia in central Germany. It was founded as a Catholic diocese in 742 and flourished in the Middle Ages thanks to the wood plant, the source of valuable blue dye. Erfurt's many churches, chapels and monasteries have earned the city the nickname "Thuringian Rome." And Erfurt is especially famous for playing a significant role in the life of Martin Luther. In the 16th century, Luther spent six years in Erfurt, first studying at the University of Erfurt then living as a monk in the Augustinian Monastery.**

**The Luther Festival is an eight-day cultural immersion experience that brings the Reformation to life as you serve, learn, and celebrate in the places where Martin Luther did the same. And it will be on June 17-23,2013. I hadn't notice an exact day for the festival. You are free to correct me about it.**

**Trach****t ****is a traditional****national costume****in German-speaking countries. Although the word is most often associated with****Austrian****and****Bavarian****costumes****, many other peoples of Germany have them.**

**The reason why the monk was proposing to the nun was because Martin Luther(not Martin Luther King, I always got them mix up but they are two different people) did marry a nun after they left the Catholic and started their own religion. Which is the Protestant.**

**Pancakes and crepe are one and the same. Crepes are just thinner while pancake are like a flat cake. It's name differ depending on the country you are in.**

**German has a tradition to wear the wedding ring on the RIGHT side rather than the more common left side. I just knew this after a few search in the web.**

**Thank you for those lovely reviews in the previous chapters that had given me a boost.**

**Have a great day everyone and take care!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I don't own Hetalia!**

**Special thanks to invisiblemanda for being a diligent student and a great editor:D**

* * *

"You're having another wedding?" Francis surprised tone wasn't missed as he jumped from the couch he was sharing with his niece.

"_Oui_, Prince Aldrick requested it." Mathilda smiled. She and Gilbert had already discussed the date, which will be after the baby is born. _Maybe this is a good time to tell Uncle Francis about the baby_, she thought as she observed her uncle's excitement. He was rumbling about being able to plan her wedding this time.

"Then there will be a massive buffet that serves all of French finest cuisines-"

"Uncle Francis." Mathilda interrupted her overly excited uncle as she walked towards him in the middle of the salon.

"Yes, Mathilda." Francis' blue eyes blinked to his favourite niece.

"W-well, Prince Aldrick requested for it to be in a month."

"A month?!" Francis yelled in anguish as he pulled his wavy blond locks out of their ribbon.

"That will not do, Mathilda. We need at least six months to get your dress ready." He grabbed her shoulders with a shaky grip. Mathilda might have laughed at her uncle's distress about a silly dress but she was about to tell him something important.

"Then it's a good thing Gilbert chose to have it next year." She chuckled nervously. Her uncle didn't notice the tone as he relaxed his grip and a smile was plastered on his face once again.

"Smart of him. We can still make a wedding dre—"

"When the baby is born." Mathilda quickly blurted it out. Once the words had been said, something lifted off her chest. She casted her dark violet-blue eyes to her frozen uncle. She now wished that her twin sister, Amelia, was here to lighten the mood by making a joke about their uncle's frozen face with his mouth opened wide indicating his shock from her confession.

"Well, that's great news Mathilda." after a long silent minute, Francis recovered and hugged his niece and kissed her forehead to show that he was happy with the news.

"When did you notice that you are carrying?" Francis asked in pure curiosity as he guided Mathilda to sit on the coach again. His eyes caught a letter on the table and his mind returned to the letter Amelia had sent to him last week about Mathilda's health.

"I didn't know I was carrying until Yue had told me." Francis was half listening to his niece as he recalled the entire thing that had happened for the past two months.

Why had Gilbert suddenly declared he will marry his beautiful and quite niece right after her twin's wedding? Francis frowned as his mind was working overtime.

Why did Gilbert threaten him to come to Prussia if he was afraid to tell the world that he married Mathilda?

Gilbert's sudden change of personality, Mathilda's sickness and the whispers he heard back in England.

_The prince had strike again._

_Did you hear, he had taken a virgin this time?_

"Mathilda, was the baby created out of wed-lock?" Mathilda stopped her mumbling and blushed heavily to her uncle.

"Y-yes." Her fear could be heard as she avoided looking at her uncle and her shaking voice was obvious enough.

"Did Gilbert marry you because he knows you are carrying?" Francis hadn't meant to scream but he was angry at Gilbert for taking his precious niece like this.

"W-what? No! He only knows I'm carrying once we were already in Prussian land." That had subsided his anger a little, but his boiling blood wasn't cool enough to accept just as that. He needed to speak to the person who was the reason why both of them were here in Prussia.

"I cannot accept this, marriage is not a laughing matter. It should be for love."

Francis quickly got up and walked towards the door. Mathilda was following him from behind and trying to calm him down.

"Uncle Francis, please wait."

Francis passed a few servants that eyed both blonds wearily as they walked around the castle with Francis screaming, "Gilbert! Where are you?!"

Mathilda was so busy running after her uncle that she didn't notice they were out of the castle garden when the morning air had greeted her.

The back of the garden was marvellous, there were birds and butterflies flying around the flowers and there were vegetables planted just a few feet away. Mathilda had only come here once with Gilbert, and he said it will be more beautiful when the gardener returns from his summer trip.

"_Merde_." Mathilda jerked when her uncle cursed. He turned to his side when he had calmed down and was just staring at the blooming irises on the garden.

"Uncle Francis?" Mathilda gently tapped his shoulder and he grabbed her into a tight hugged.

"_Desole_, my dear niece. I wasn't able to protect you from harm of men." Mathilda sighed a relief as she comforted her uncle. Some German was heard inside the castle until Gilbert emerged behind a wooden door.

Gilbert came running towards them with a worried looked on his pale face.

"What is the matter, Francis?" He's foot had just stepped on the well trimmed grass and he wasn't prepared for the punch on his cheek by an angry Frenchman.

Mathilda shouted in worry as Gilbert hit the grass with a groan. _He sure gave a hard punch for a flamboyant man_, Gilbert thought as he nursed the sore spot on his left face. _There will be a bruise tonight._

"What was that for, Frenchy?" Gilbert got up and was pissed beyond reason. He was with his brother doing their paperwork when a servant came running in saying that his guests were running around looking for him.

Francis sighed as he saw Gilbert on the floor as Mathilda helped him up.

"For deflowering my innocent niece, you bastard!" Mathilda winced and Gilbert murmured under his breath. "Not this again."

He got up and straightens his navy blue shirt and glared with his red eyes to the angry Frenchman.

"Look, the only reason why you're here was because I was scared at first."

"You better be, for bringing Mathilda here to this barbaric place." Mathilda could swear she heard something snap as Gilbert hurled himself to Francis.

"How dare you say something like that to Prussia? This country is an _awesomer_ empire than your France!" Gilbert punched at the defending Frenchman. His left and right hand were going blindly on their own to hit anything. They rolled to the vegetation garden and got dirt all over their clothes and hair. Neither of them notice it as they were trying to injure the other as much as possible.

Once they were back on the grass, both man got up and Francis tried tripping Gilbert as he moved his long legs in front of the prince. Francis laughed as Gilbert fallen face down, but winced when his laugh had caused his chest to hurt a little. Gilbert must have hit him good.

"_Vrai_? For taking young innocent ladies too your bed?" Gilbert's brow frowned more at the smirking Frenchman above him.

"You're the one to talk." He puffed as he got up and made a stand to call Francis over to another fist fight.

"I don't pry on the innocents." Francis defended himself.

"Please stop!" Mathilda screamed as she run towards Gilbert.

"Mathilda." Gilbert's irritation decreased as his scarlet eyes were on the worried face of his wife/fiancé. He quickly pulled her into a kiss and smirked when Mathilda melted right into his chest.

"Is this an energy boost to fight your uncle?" Mathilda was still in a dazed but snapped her head back to reality.

"No! Please stop the fighting. It's not right and Uncle Francis." She turned to her stunned uncle.

"Please let it go. Gilbert has changed for the better and he even actually proposed to me saying that he. . . " Mathilda's soft was getting softer and softer while her face was getting brighter and brighter. Maybe letting them fight would be much easier than exposing all her feelings.

She buried her face in Gilbert's chest, ignoring the dirt and grass that was stuck on his shirt. Gilbert smoothed out her blond hair and kissed her forehead before staring at his friend.

"I know what I did was wrong. We cannot change the past, but I wanted to make it right. Not for me, but for Mathilda."

Francis stared at the couple in front of him with a new spark in his chest. He smiled when Gilbert's arms had circled around Mathilda's back and midsection. He was whispering to her softly and she nodded her head in response.

He smiled as he knew that they had fallen in love along the way.

"My garden!" the three turned their heads towards a distressed man with tann skin, slightly curly brown hair and green eyes that resembled like the grass. He had fallen to his knees as he tried controlling his emotion.

"Who did these to my beautiful tomatoes?" He silently mourned at his dead garden. "They weren't even given a chance to grow." He whimpered as he patted the broken and squashed stem.

"We should go." Gilbert whispered softly to Mathilda and was backing away from the crying men when they were stopped by Francis, who was staring at the crying man.

"We are sorry to destroy your beautiful garden, _mon ami_. But Gilbert and I would make it up for you."

"What?" Gilbert's shocked tone was not missed by Francis as he glared back at him.

"Why, why, why." The man had kept on chanting, ignoring them.

"Gilbert, you should apologize to him." Mathilda said as she urged her husband and uncle to go to the crying man in brown breeches and light tan skirt.

"Why should I? This is my house. I apologize to no one." Gilbert crossed both his arms and the man's wailed kept echoing to the morning air. The birds were flying away from the noise and servants were observing the ruches as they looked from afar.

Gilbert's eyebrows twitch in annoyance when both blonds looked at him with stern look.

"Pride is not good _mon ami_." Francis said while Mathilda scowled at him saying. "That's not nice Gilbert."

"F-fine." In defeat, he walked towards the gardener.

"We are sorry for destroying you garden."

"WAAHHH!" His cries were getting older and Francis and Mathilda still encourage Gilbert some more.

"Please don't cry now. They will grow back—"

"UUWAAAH! They were only babies." Gilbert's eye twitched.

"Like I said, you could plant some more and they'll grow—"

"It's not the same!"

"Would you SHUT IT!" Gilbert outburst had shocked the man to silent and Mathilda was frowning at him. He sighed and turned to the man. _At least he stop crying_.

"Look, Francis and I were having a dispute and we are sorry that your garden was destroyed by us." the man sniffed as he cast a sad look to his garden. Gilbert flicked his tongue at his teeth as he grabbed the man up.

"Would it be better if I gave you a raise?" The man's suddenly turned to him with a full grin and Gilbert could have sworn that it was all an act.

"Thanks _amigo_." He shook Gilbert's hand as he kept on rambling about how great tomato could be on the skin.

Francis laughed while Mathilda smiled at him.

"I'm glad I came back early this year, or the tomatoes would be a goner for sure if unattended for a day."

"What?" Gilbert snapped his head back to the grinning gardener.

"Thanks for the raised Senior Beilschmidt. Now, I must get going if I want to make them live." The gardener was about to leave when Gilbert grabbed his collar.

"Listen here . . ."

"Carriedo, sir. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo." Francis kept on laughing. "Oh boy, that was nice. Honhonhon." He walked toward the tan gentleman and smacked him on the back.

"You had us there." Francis laughed once more when he saw Gilbert's face.

"There, there Gilbert. You did the right thing." Mathilda patted her anguished husband for being tricked by one of his employee.

"For being a great sport, Gilbert and I will help you tend the garden this morning." Francis declared without consoling Gilbert, whose eyes popped wide in surprised.

"We are?" Mathilda patted his hand.

"Oui, it's the least we could do after destroying his garden." Francis said to the smiling gardener.

"Really? _Gracias_ Senior Beilschmidt, senior ah.."

"Francis Bonnefoy." Antonio grinned as he shook hand with the Frenchman.

"You're French?" Antonio asked with pure curiosity.

"_Oui_, and you're Spanish and he is German." He pointed to Gilbert.

"Prussian!" Mathilda giggled at her husband sudden occurrence once again to his nation. _He sure is patriotic_, she thought as she fined a shady place to wait for them to finished tending the garden.

Mathilda had fallen asleep waiting for her uncle and husband to finish and once she opened her eyes again, she was in her bed. She jerked up in surprised just in time for Gilbert to close the door.

"Gilbert." She called out and run towards the door. She was almost smacked by the door when Gilbert suddenly opened the door again.

"Are you alright?" He let the door opened and cursed himself that he always hit someone when opening a door. It was a good thing that Mathilda wasn't hit this time.

"I'm fine." Her eyes looked at him from head to toe and she raised her brows when he was wearing a clean white shirt and black breeches. His hair was clean as well and bruises where starting to form at his cheeks and chin. She thought that her uncle might be in the same state as well.

"How is the garden?" Mathilda asked as she moved her hands to his clean appearance.

"It's fine I guess. You should see Francis' face after it was finished. He was crying like a mad man for noticing his ruined outfit and all. Kesese." He chuckled as he remembered the anguished face of his friend's face and how the Spanish guy tried joking about it. They made a pretty odd group, and Gilbert liked it.

"How long was I asleep?" She turned to the window and she could still see the sun high up in the sky.

"Just a few hours." He surged and put a stray hair back behind her ear.

"I just came back to check if you're awake yet to go down and eat luncheon."

"Oh."

The silent that followed was unnerving. They wouldn't look at each other, Kuma and Gilbird however came just in time to snap their owners back to reality as they demanded food to eat.

Gilbert's face brighten up when he saw Gilbird was perched on the bear's head and laughed when it was chirping quite loudly.

"Hungry I see." He then took Mathilda's hand and guides them down to the dining hall.

On the way there, voices where getting louder and louder and Mathilda looked up Gilbert in question.

"Is there anything at miss?" Gilbert shrugged. "I don't know."

When just the door separating them from the noise, they could easily make-out the sentence that was being argue inside.

"You stupid potato bastard! When will you learn that my sister is waiting for your hand in marriage?"

The door had opened suddenly and the Italian guest jumped in surprised as Ludwig sighed a relief as he saw his brother and Mathilda. _I'm save_, he thought as he stood up to greet them.

"Bruder, Mathilda . Luncheon is ready." Gilbert raised a brow at his brother's sudden gesture. Then he saw the angry Italian behind him.

Mathilda blinked at the boy sitting in one of the chairs. He has a short dark brown hair with a stray hair much like Felicia did but it was on the other side of his head. His light brown eyes were much like Felicia and he looked a little like Felicia if he removed the scowl on his face.

The Italian got up and Mathilda blinked some more at how small he was. He might be the same height as her, and when he walked towards Ludwig, he grew smaller as he looked up at the stress out prince.

"I'm not done with you yet, potato." He then noticed Mathilda and bowed at her.

"You must be Lady Mathilda, Felicia has told me about you." He smiled and Mathilda had to smile back and she then realized that she was seen.

"Hey Lovi, if your here then it means Feli—"

"She is not here. I came alone." Gilbert and Ludwig's face shows their surprised.

"You came alone? All the way from Italy?" Mathilda was wondering why they were so worried. It's not like anyone would rob him, even though he's small.

"Yes, is there a problem?" Gilbert sighed.

"You know, acting this tough doesn't prove anything. One of these days you might get hurt."

"Shut up! You don't know me so don't lecture me like that old man." Mathilda was taken aback by his sudden informal way of talking to the princes. Both of them sighed and Gilbert turned to Mathilda.

"Mathilda, this here is Lovina Vargas. She is Felicia's older sister."

"Nice to meet yo—wait. Sister?" Mathilda blinked at the Italian in front of her. He-she was wearing dark breeches and a suit. Her hair was short and she talks like a man. _How could this be a lady?_

"I know what you're thinking. She is definitely a woman underneath that tough exterior." Gilbert explained as he walked to his chair. Lovina just huffed at Mathilda's shocked face and went back to the chair she had been sitting in.

Francis came down just a few minutes later with the same reaction as Mathilda, though he asked a little to much question to the pissed Italian that he received another beating to add to his growing bruises.

Since Aldrick took Kiku with him to go around the estate, they started their luncheon with much noise from Gilbert and Lovina fighting over her safety.

"Just shut up, I know what I'm doing." Lovina shouted back to the pale prince across the table.

"Is denying your gender and acting all tough and all we know you just wanted to get notice by your grandfath—" a fork was thrown just a few millimeters away from Gilbert's face. Mathilda dropped her spoon and quickly checked if Gilbert was alright, while Francis was just too shocked to do anything. Ludwig was the one that scowled the Italian.

"Lovi! Gilbert was just being realistic, you don't have to throw a fork to him. Or anyone for that matter!" Lovina just stared at her plate. She then pushed her chair away and run through the door and out of the huge hall.

"Serves her right." Gilbert said but closed his mouth when Ludwig turned to him.

"You should be more mature than that. We all know how her temper can get the out of hand."

"I was just looking after her. She has been acting like a-know-it all ever since their parents died."

"Please, gentlemen. Stop the battle." Francis tried calming the brothers but all of his effort was no used as he receives a "Stay out of this!" from both brothers.

Francis put his napkin down and pulled Mathilda out to the noisy hall.

"Is it wise to leave them?" Mathilda turned to look back at the two brothers' fighting at the table.

"Let them be. It's better than getting shouted at." Mathilda gave a sad look to them as the door closed behind them.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to invisiblemanda for editing this chapter! She has her life but she took some of her time to edit this, so give her a round of a hand, everyone.**

**"Awesomer" technically isn't a word, but I go with invisiblemanda's suggestion. It does seemed like a word Gilbert would say, after all, English wasn't he's first language:P Thanks for the tip invisiblemanda!**

**Now any reaction to this chapter? Was it a bit too much? I must thank** **Mysterious Writer100**** for giving me the idea to have a male acting Lovina. It seems great as the idea pop out on my head at first. Just tell me if it was ok. Because I also want to do something opposite to what happened to Italy when he was under Austria's power where they taught he was a girl. Now I wanted to make Romano suffer the same faith, but this time, she was fully aware that she wanted to be a boy—Reason? On the next chapter, but I can tell you already guess what it is. Hehe.**

**History fact or fun fact.**

**Iris- France national flower. (at first, I thought it was Lilies but I did some research and it was Iris. –gasp-)**

**Tomato – it really is a fruit but I just say a vegetable garden for one, they thought tomato was a vegetable. It originated from South America and the Spanish like them so they brought some back to Europe. Now they grow anyway, as long as the temperature is cool enough.**

**Thank you for those lovely comments.**

**Have a great day everyone!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I don't own hetalia.**

**Thank you, invisiblemanda for editing!**

* * *

"Stupid Germans. Stupid _sorella_ for being too stupid to be in love with a potato bastard." Lovina grumbled as she walked around the large castle grounds. She was in so much anger that she tripped over a small, overlooked rock and fell face first into the soft grass.

With a cursed that wasn't supposed to come out of any ladies' mouth, she got up and sighed.

"Why did I even come here?" Her mind then went back to the night her little sister came crying to her after Felicia and _Nono_ got back from Prussia.

"_What is the matter now Feli?" Lovi asked her sobbing sister as she pulled her into a comfortable hug, _rubbing her back in a soothing way. _Ever since their parents died by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, both of the Vargas sisters had lived with their paternal grandfather, which he took and spoiled. Though he might not say it out loud, Lovina could tell that he prefer Felicia to her._

"_I-hick-It's –hick-" _

"_Oh get it out already!" Felicia, used to her sister vindictive word, mumbled out her distress._

"_It's Ludwig." _I should have know_, Lovi mentally pictured the German prince in her head. It was hard, though, because she hadn't seen him or his annoying brother in two years. Something must have changed to that overly quite prince._

"_What did he do this time?"_

"_Nothing!" OK, her sister can be confusing sometimes but knowing Felicia, she's wanted the German prince to make a move ever since she knewhow to talk and walk._

_With a sigh, she pulled Felicia out of the hug and smoothed all those tears away from her creamy soft face._

"_Let's be real now Feli." Her younger sister of two years nodded her head._

"_If Ludwig here doesn't make a move for the last ten years-"_

"_Fourteen years." Felicia interrupted her sister and Lovina just raised her brows at her but continue with her statement. Fourteen year. _It's not like that potato bastard remembers that it was Feli back then_._

"_For the last _fourteen _years, then he must not like you." The moment those words were out, Felicia started to hiccup again as tears were threatening to flow down at any moment. _

"_B-but he said he likes me." Lovi's head turned callously to her sister._

"_He said that?"_

"_Y-yes. But every time he said it he would make an excuse to leave me." _Well, that was such gentleman of him_. Lovi might have laugh if her sister wasn't in the verge of crying again._

_Looking at the clock, she mentally calculated her distance and time. She then turned to the opened window that leads to the vast vineyard that was about to bloom. She couldn't leave her duty now, when the grapes were about to be ready to harvest. But then again, what kind of sister would she be to just ignore her desperate-idiotic- but sweet sister in need. _

_Her grandfather might kill her for this. But it's not like she hadn't proven herself. Without anymore hesitation, Lovi got up from her chair and went running to her room to pack the necessities she need for her two days trip._

"_Lovi, where are you going?" Felicia asked as she followed her sister to their shared room and watched her sister pack some things in a sack._

"_Tell Nono for me that I'll be back before the grapes are ripe."_

"_What? " After she closed the sack, change her clothes to more manly attire and shot a quick glance at the mirror she was ready to go._

"_Do not worry, Feli, I'll be back before you know it." She then took off running to the stable in full speed, ignoring her sister's plea._

"_Wait, Lovi! You can't go riding alone. Nono will be mad." _

_Grabbing her favourite steed, she called the servants to open the cage and she took off to the north where the German princes live. Where she had left her heart and fantasies years ago._

"Right. To make some sense to that muscular guy and finally help Feli settle down." She then just lied down on the warm grass and breathed in the slightly cold air. Autumn must be really near.

The warm weather was starting to cool, the leaves were turning bright red, birds were chirping accompanied by a soft melody. _Wait, soft melody?_

Lovi's ears pick up the soothing sound and she got up from where she was lying. She then followed the sound idly. She hadn't been here for so long now but the castle hadn't changed. The only thing that was new in this castle was Mathilda. And the annoying Frenchman, but she doubt he would stay long.

She turned a corner of the castle wall, and saw that just a few feet away was a guy stringing his guitar and humming to the beat. Her breath was caught in her throat as the gorgeous male with brown hair that curls at the ends, tempting Lovina to run her fingers through that soft hair of his. The sunlight shined upon him and his tanned muscular skin that shines with health, causing him to look like an angle fallen from the sky.

Lovina's goals and beliefs were slightly changed at that moment. She no longer wanted to act all tough and strong, knowing that this man will be able to protect her with his arms wrapped securely around her. She could put all her worries and happiness out to him and—

Lovi mentally slapped herself. What was she thinking? She didn't know this man and yet she acted like she knows him like the back of her hand. She learned to guard her heart ever since she realized Gilbert never so much as glanced at her whenever Elizabetha was in the room. But deep inside, something was nagging that this guy might be different.

He stopped his humming and turned his head to hers. She blinked and she could feel her cheeks growing warm when those luscious green eyes on her. _Maybe this guy will be different_. He smiled to her and her mind was working overtime thinking about how handsome he was. The other male race must be put to shame with him standing proud with all his glory.

"Hola, senior!" And Lovi's dreams came crashing down before her eyes. _He thinks I'm a guy? Well I'll show him. _

Stomping towards him, she stared at him with a humph.

"Who are you and what are you doing here at this private estate?" He blinked in surprised at the venomous tone of small male in front of him. Raising both his hands and standing from the rock he was sitting on, he tried reasoning with the male.

"Wait, Senior. I'm the gardener here Antonio Carriedo. Please don't act like I'm a threat."

"Gardener?" Lovi blinked at the still handsome male. The way he speaks, it had a hint of Spanish in it and that made Lovi's heart beat wildly but she was able to control it. This male doesn't deserve anybodies love when he can't distinguish a male from a lady. She doesn't act like a lady but even so, he must be an idiot to not notice the differences.

"Si. I'm the new gardener to the Beilschmidt family. Though 'new' would probably be the wrong word since I have been working here at least six months now and—"

"Stop! I get it." _Why doesn't he stop talking?_ That beautiful voice of his was memorizing enough. He blinked at her and, knowing that look, Lovi knew he was curious to know who she-he was.

"Yes?" She gave as him.

"If I may be so bold senior ,but who might you be?"

"Lovi Vargas, heir to the Vargas wine Indus-"

"Your Felicia's brother?" Lovi blinked at him_. He really thinks I'm a male?_ Lovina wasn't too happy about it. Holding her pride down, she nodded her head.

"You know my _sorella_?" The Spanish gardener smiled his widest and nodded his head like a child.

"Si! She would come here and look at my garden when she is waiting for Senior Ludwig. She sure is a cute and sweet girl. Senior Ludwig is lucky to ha-"

"Stop!" Antonio blinked as Lovi shouted at him to stop. He was just complement he's sister, what's wrong with it, Antonio thought.

Little does he know, that Lovi was having some of those dark thoughts come back to haunt her.

_Look how pretty her sister is._

_Why can't she be gentler like their mother?  
She should be born as the male instead. It fits her personality well._

"Do you fancy my sorella?" Lovi's brown eyes were glaring at the slightly frighten man in from of her. How dare he? He is nothing but a gardener. He cannot provide Feli anything but sorrows.

"No senior! I was just stating that you're lucky to have a sister like Feli."

"Feli?" Not senorita Feli? Antonio gulped at the frightening man in from of him. He might be small but the glare and the tone he was given was terrifying.

"You have no right to call her that! You stupid bastard!" Lovina took off in the other direction, leaving the bewildered Spanish behind.

"I hate him. I hate the world." Lovi murmured as tears were threatening to fall any moment now. She was blindly running away to anywhere, just to get away from it all.

-^J^-

Mathilda smiled happily to Kuma as she feed him with some of the leftovers from the table. There was a lot since they weren't able to finish their luncheon because of the interruption earlier.

Kuma licked the plate clean and when he found nothing more, he turned his furry head to the lady reading on the chair. He tried getting her attention by pulling her light red skirt.

Mathilda closed her book when she felt something was pulling at her. She then smiled down at the bear and picked him up with a grunt.

"Wow, you had gotten heavier, Kuma." He pawed her and cuddled closer ingo her chest .Mathilda smoothed the white fur and sighed a contented sigh as the warmth of the bear was smoothing with the much cooler air.

"Are you still hungry boy?" Mathilda asked the bear who was nibbling her hair in attempt to tell her that he wants more. Mathilda put him down and opened the door of her room.

"Come on then. Let's see if we can still get you something in the kitchen." The bear followed in all fours and they padded along the huge castle walls.

Mathilda then heard something knocking, and it was getting louder.

Before she was able to see it coming, she had collided with a small, soft body. Instantly she covered her stomach from the impacted to the floor. When she felt nothing but of dizziness, she opened her violet-blue eyes and sighed a relief.

"Are you alright Lady Mathilda?" It was then that she just noticed the strong arms of her brother-in-law around her waist. She blushed and pushed gently away from him and she heard a soft sniffle from behind. She turned to see a very tired Feli with swollen red eyes, indicating that she had been crying a few minutes ago.

"I'm so sorry Mathilda!" Felicia explained as she grabbed her hand.

"I'm panicking because I don't know if Lovi is alright! She left home in such a haste that I wasn't able to pack anything new . . ." The Italian was rambling had Mathilda blinked in surprised and Ludwig to rub his face in annoyance. Or was it embarrassment?

"Feli, I don't think Lady Mathilda here wanted to know your story." Ludwig tried reasoning with the hyper but nervous Italian.

"Oh. Sorry. Please forgive me, I'm a little worried right now and and and have you since Lovi?" She asked the still shocked twin.

"Not since luncheon, sorry." Mathilda said in a soft voice. Then the Italian surprised the two blonds when she started running again in the other direction and screaming. "Lovi!"

"I'm sorry about this Lady Mathilda." Ludwig apologized to her before going after the Italian shouting with equal volume. "Feli! Do not run in a skirt!"

He left her with nothing to do put ponder what had happened. When nothing came to her head, she looked down and panicked a little when her white bear wasn't there.

"Kuma?" She pick up her skirt and walked quickly of the direction of the dining hall.

"Where are you Kuma?"

Once she was just outside the dining hall, she took a peek at the opened door and found nothing but furniture.

"Kuma!"

"Looking for this?" Mathilda yelped in surprised as she turned around to see a smirking Gilbert with a bear in his arms. He placed him down and walked to her.

"I saw him clawing at my study door." He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead.

"Did Ludwig and I disturbed your luncheon and that's why you're here looking for something to eat?" Mathilda blushed but answered his question.

"No, I came here to give Kuma something more to eat." Gilbert then looked at the bear, who was trying to climb one of the chairs to get to the table.

"I see what you mean." Mathilda then turned to looked at him and scolded him for doing so.

Gilbert smirked at the defeated look on the bear and stuck his tongue out at him. He might be acting childish but he loves it. Mathilda then remembered Felicia. She turned to her husband just in time to see what he was doing. She raised her brows at him.

"What?" he asked defensively.

"I was just wondering why is Felicia crying?" Gilbert blinked before nodding his head in remembrance.

"She is just worried that something might have happened to her sister." He walked to the window that over looked the village.

"Apparently, Lovi left their home in such a haste that Felicia had to go looking for her. I actually pitied their servant. Since Lovi came by horse alone, it took her a day and a half to came here. Since Feli can't do that with a carriage, she ordered them to ride straight without stopped. It was a miracle that their horses survived."

"Oh. Why is Lovi here then?" Mathilda was just asking in pure curiosity but found Gilbert's aura a bit darker than necessary.

"I don't know. I hadn't got to have a good chat with her since she took off." He then turned to her..

"What to go for a walk?" Mathilda blinked at his sudden change of topic but accepted it anyway.

-^J^-

"Yue!" The pregnant Chinese grunted in annoyance to her husband. She was trying to take a nap and found it a challenge when her husband kept checking on her every hour.

"Can't you let me sleep?" she said in a tired tone. She opened her honey-coloured eyes to the clock on the mantle and saw that it's already six. With a sigh she moved the covers off and putted on her shoes.

"Are you awake, Yue?" Ivan's happy tone was a bit annoying to the pregnant woman. She didn't know why, but she was a bit irritated with everything nowadays. From the sounds of her brother's constant walking to the change of colour of their bed sheets. Then at the last minute, she will be happy again and then crying her heart out when she read her books.

Most of all, Yue pitied Ivan, for he was the punching bag for her unstable emotions nowadays. But he still seemed happy and even encouraged her to act out her frustrations.

"I am now." She hissed back at him as he covered himself behind a door. He learned his lessons when Yue had thrown him a lamp when she was having one of those episodes where she can't really tell what her emotions were. Yue's mother, YueMei, told Ivan to just relax and assured her that everything will be find.

"Diner is really. Do you want to eat here or down at the hall?" he gently walked towards her and helped her down the manor.

Yue then started to feel down and teary. She felt sorry for Ivan that he had to suffer this turmoil with her and midway down the stairs she let her tears fall.

Ivan jerked in surprised when he felt dampness around on his arm. He looked at Yue, who had gripped on his jacket and crying softly into his arms. He gently pulled her down to his lap and he sat on the stairs, smoothing his crying wife.

"I'm sorry Ivan." She mumbled her apologizes and felt Ivan's comforting arms around her.

"There there now, Yue. Everything is alright."

"B-but I kept on yelling at you and snapped at you. " Ivan answered with a kiss on her lips that helped her crying to stop.

"It's alright. I have forgiven you." He placed his hand on her swollen abdomen and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Ivan." Yue said in a sweet tone and kissed him full on the lips. Ivan was still not used to the sudden change of emotions, but he wouldn't complain when his wife was acting all nice and sweet.

Once they pulled out for air, Ivan then noticed that someone was staring at them at the bottom of the stairs. It was Hong. Yue cuddle some more into his chest and he felt a little bit shy at the stare the silent child was giving him.

"Hong, what are you doing just standing there?" The much older version of Yue walked to her youngest child and gasped a surprised at the scene Hong was staring at. Ivan was seated comfortably on the steps of stairs while Yue was cuddling him on his lap.

"Right. I presume she isn't ready for diner yet?" She asked smiling at the couple in front of her. Ivan turned to looked at his sleeping wife and shook his head.

"I'll let the footman bring the food upstairs then." YueMei said and pulled Hong with her.

Ivan smiled happily. He was lucky to marry into such a caring family. Yue moved in his arms and he smiled down at her as well.

"I love you too, Yue." He let gently pulled himself up to the room they shared.

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to invisiblemanda for editing this chapter and sorry it took so long to send it to you. Enjoy your break!**

**Sorry for the late update everyone. I was fighting with writer's block and I was a little pressured at school with all those deadlines to catch up and Finals. Uwaah! But everything is down now and I was able to finish this chapter in a nick of time. Then the internet went down for three days, it was a slow three days. But hope you guys are still into this.**

**About the Spanish songs. I can't find anything with lyrics, (I presumed that there was no lyrics in the first place) but it you are wondering what Lovina had hear Antonio playing, is in youtube.**

** /watch?v=rQKCiuSR2F8**

**I must thank invisiblemanda as well for helping me overcome my writer's block. Thank you so much:)**

**FunFacts:**

**Classical guitars also known as Spanish guitars are typically strung with nylon strings, plucked with the fingers, played in a seated position and are used to play a diversity of musical styles including****classical music****.**

**If anyone is wondering what had happened to Yue. She is already in her trimester making her prone to mood swings. I have never actually since a pregnant woman go throw it. For I presume they would be staying inside and not leave the house. But from what I research, I could sum it up to being easily irritated to being so hyper and then suddenly crying for no reason. You all blame that two main hormones, estrogen and progesterone that causes mood swings during pregnancy. **

**As anyone notice how the scene Italy running with Germany chasing after her? He, it seemed so overused but that what makes that pair unique and fun.**

**Hope you guys enjoy it and thank you for those lovely comments.**

**Have a wonderful day everyone!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I don't own hetalia!**

**Special thanks to invisiblemanda for being an awesome editor!**

* * *

_. . . I have been feeling quite down nowadays. I will be happy and content but within a minute I would suddenly start crying and blame anything for my misery. I'm not sure if this is still healthy, but mama reassures me that it is only natural for a pregnant woman to feel like this.(Like there was no tomorrow)_

_I pity Ivan, I know he will explode in any minute now, for I usually throw my unstable emotions at him. How can anyone be that patient? I just pray that Gilbert will be as patient as Ivan when it's your turn. You'll be giving birth here on England, right? How I missed you Mathilda! _

_I notice from your last letter that there's a family crisis there? An Italian sisters? I must say, despite having been in Prussia for only two months, you have already met people from cultures all over the worlds. From a Japanese student, to a Spanish gardener and now Italians. My my that must be a jolly house with all those different language there._

_P.S. Your sister and Arthur will be returning within a weeks time. _

_Yours truly,_

_Yue_

Mathilda smiled and returned the letter to its envelope. She kept it in her drawer as she finished combing her hair, enjoying the silent solitude.

It's been a week since Lovi suddenly invaded the Beilschmidt household, soon followed by her sister. There never was any quite time until nightfall. The house would always be in chaos that even Aldrick volunteered to go to Munich to celebrate this year's Oktober feast.

A knock came from her door, with a puzzled look, she murmured "Enter."

The wooden door opened with a creek and a mass of white hair with a yellow chick plastered in the middle popped out of the opening.

"Hello Gilbert." Mathilda smiled and placed the comb back on the table. Gilbert had started sleeping with her not a few nights back and it actually helps her sleep quite well in the late of night.

Gilbert smiled back and closed the door as well as bolts the lock.

"How did Lovi and Ludwig stop their arguing this time?" Mathilda asked innocently. Even though there would always be shouting and quarrelling, Mathilda knew that it was for a deeper meaning. Still, she wasn't close enough to Lovi or anyone for that matter to know what they were fighting about.

Gilbert shrugged his shoulder as he walked up behind her. He placed his large pale hands on her shoulder and gave a soft squeezed.

"And why, pray tell, are you interested?" He smirked at the mirror and Mathilda blushed at his mischievous look.

"W-well." Gilbert laughed and pulled her chin up to kiss her softly. Gilbird fell away to nest on Kuma's sleeping head when his master bent down.

Mathilda melted right away into the soft kiss and when both their lungs demanded oxygen, she took a deep breath in and savored the musky smell of her husband/fiancé.

"You're so cute when you blush." Gilbert's voice was a little coarse.

Both of them then went to lie on the bed and slept with content.

The next morning, when the sun was just rising from the horizon, Mathilda woke with a jerk when someone was banging and bawling in German behind her door. The mass behind her moved with a growl and tried covering his ears with a pillow.

Mathilda blinked and looked around to find her chemise. Apparently they weren't that innocent last night.

"Gilbert, wake up. The footman is in distress." A moan was given.

"Gilbert!" She shook him and was pulled down on the bed instead.

"Ask them what do they want?" He said in a grumble and let his grip go. Mathilda sighed and put on her robe and went to unbolt the door.

"_Sir, ist der Prinz von Preußen hier_…" the footman caught himself when he saw a wide eyed Mathilda. He bowed instead and spoke in broken English. "Milady, is Prince Gilbert in the room?"

"Yes, but he is still half asleep."

"Sorry to wake you up, but please tell Prince Gilbert that the Prince of Prussia is here." Mathilda's eyes widened some more if that was even possible and she turned run to the bed.

"Gilbert! Wake up! The Prince of Prussia is here!" She shook him with much force that even Gilbird was chirping quite loudly above his master's head and Kuma was trying to take away the bed sheet.

Gilbert's mind didn't catch anyof the conversation said on the door, he just noticed the sudden change of tone from urgent to soft spoken. Then his mind sparked to life when Mathilda came back shaking him awake from the comfortable soft warm bed.

"_WAS?!"_ He jerked up and grabbed his pants from the floor. Then he went straight to the door to talk to the footman as Mathilda watched in puzzlement with Kuma besides her and Gilbird nested on her shoulder.

"_Danke_." Gilbert then closed the door and sighed.

"Gilbert?" Mathilda could see the stress on his bare pale back as he was lening on the doorframe.

"That took him long enough." He whispered, and jerked when a soft hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Is everything alright Gilbert?" He turned to smile at his wife. The looked of worry was plastered on her soft features had Gilbert bend down to kissed it away.

"I need to speak to someone important. I'll be back when everything is settled." He then went to his room to change to more suitable attire to me the _Prinz_ of Prussia.

With much hurry, Gilbert almost runs into two servants working their morning duty on the way to his father's office.

Once outside his father's study, he could definitely hear murmurs behind the wooden door. With a loud knock, the murmuring stops and the stern voice said. "Enter!"

Gilbert whined and turned the nod. He closed the door and bowed to Royal present at the room, seated in his father's chair with a very unhappy look in his blue eyes.

"_Colonel Gilbert Beilschmidt, your highness_." He heard a grunted and adjusted his posture to stand tall before the Prinz. His brother was standing by the fireplace with a grim look.

"_Gilbert._" The Prussian prince, not much older than Gilbert himself said in sadness.

"_What is this letter_," He flicks the letter of resignation in his gloved hand and continues to speak in their mother tongue. "_That my father told me you are quitting his army_?"

Gilbert swallowed the lump in his throat before stating his reasons.

"_With all do respect your Highness. I resign my military post to truly concentrate on my real purpose as heir to the Beilschmidt clan._" The Prinz raised his brow at the pale Prussian.

"_And why the sudden interest to this? Colonel Beilschmidt_." Ludwig could feel the tension in the room. It was not common for a royal to visit their castle. They usually called to them to go to Berlin. It had shocked him when the footman informed him that the Prince of Prussia was here at their father's office demanding to speak to Gilbert. And his brother had guts to be twenty minutes late, leaving him to entertain the bored Prinz, which was a bit of work since the Prinz wanted to see work of art.

"_I got married, your highness_." Ludwig could tell that the Prinz was shocked at this discovery.

"_You got married? And you didn't even invite me_?" That shocked them both when the Prinz stood up and went to Gilbert's side. He smacked his shoulder hard and laughed.

"_I didn't know that your cousin has left that Hungarian maid and you took the liberty to wed her-_"

"_Its not Elizabeta that I married._" The Prinz stopped short and stared at him.

"_Oh? And who is the lucky lady? Someone from Austria then? Or is it a farm girl_?" Ludwig coughed nervously at their opened discussion. He knew that the Prinz had a liking to Gilbert for he gives life to the army. But he didn't know that Gilbert had told stories of his conquest to the Prinz when they were left alone.

"_Ludwig._" The Prinz barked at the muscular prince. Said man quickly jerked and stiffened.

"_Yes Sir_?"

"_Bring Gilbert's wife here. I want to see who the lucky woman that has captured his heart is_." He smirked at the blond prince. Ludwig saluted before going out to fine Mathilda, leaving the two old buddies alone.

"_Still_ _as serious as ever, that brothers of yours_." The Prinz commented before giving his attention to the silent Prussian.

"_Where is your father_?" The well dressed Prinz walked around the well furnished room, observing the swords mounted on the wall when Gilbert answeredd with a smirk on his voice.

"_Vatti, went to Munich_."

"Ah, die Wiesn. No Prussian would miss that celebration." They laughed but quieted down when it was obvious that the Prinz was just making small talk.

"_The_ _military will lose a fine soldier, Gilbert_." He just smiled at him and said. "_Thank you sir_."

"_So tell me Gilbert. What are your plans now? Are you going to start a family_?" The _Prinz_ walked slowly to the window and smiled at the wonderful garden that was shown below.

"_You have a good eye, Gilbert_." Gilbert was now puzzled at the sudden change of topic.

"_The garden. It looks wonderful_." The _Prinz_ turned to Gilbert then.

"_We have a new gardener."_ The _Prinz_ just nodded. The silent that followed was unnerving.

Lucky for Gilbert, Ludwig had returned with a knock on the door.

"_Come on in_." The Prinz said.

"Listen, Prince Frederick is a bit of artistic prince. Do not let his seriousness fool you." Ludwig warned Mathilda. She was rather worried and nervous about meeting the Prince of Prussia. She had heard rumors that he would rather sculpt and paint than go to war in the army.

When Ludwig had knocked the door, she heard a low voice in German. "_komm in_."

When Ludwig opened the door and let her pass, she was face to face with a man in dark blue coat and white breeches with knee high boots that shined, indicating it was taken care of properly. The gentleman, she presumed is the prince, had perfect dark brown hair and clear blue eyes like Ludwig's. He wore a frown on his face as he approach Mathilda.

"_Guten Morgen, schön. Ich bin Prinz Friedrich William von Preußen_. " He then smiled at her with perfectly white teeth. Mathilda smiled, she didn't know what to say next. Gilbert and Ludwig had been teacher her some German, but she still didn''t know how to say when a Royal talked to you. So she just smiled and curtsied.

The Prinz then raised his brows and turned to Gilbert in a whisper.

"_Ist sie taub_ "Ludwig coughed at this while Gilbert's eyes widen in surprised.

"What! No. She's not." Mathilda was now puzzled. Was the Prinz saying something that made Gilbert a bit mad? Or he didn't approve of her.

"She's just starting to learn German. She's a fast learner but she's sti—"

"Ah. So she's not from Austria then." The Prinz then spoke in English, and turned to her once again.

"Sorry. Let me introduce myself. I am Prince Frederick William of Prussia." Mathilda smiled at him again and curtsied once more but before saying. "It's a pleasure to meet you, your Highness. I am Lady Mathilda Willa Jones Beilschmidt of America."

"America? The New World?" He then swiftly turned to Gilbert with a puzzled look.

"_How did you find a girl like her here?_" He asked in German, Ludwig just sighed and was planning to pull Mathilda out when Gilbert went to her side and pulled her to him.

"I met her at London." Prince Federick's eyes widen.

"You must tell me all about your adventures in England." He turned to the other blonds in the room and bowed to them.

"It was nice meeting you Lady Mathilda. Now you may all be dismissed."

Mathilda blinked in surprise and turned to Ludwig who simply shrugged his shoulders. They left the two alone. Once the door was closed Ludwig sighed and was bombarded with questions coming from the nervous twin.

"Is he mad? What are their histories together? Oh, Ludwig why is the Prince of Prussia even here? "Ludwig shut her rumbling off with a hand on her mouth. A nerve in Ludwig's head was throbbing. He didn't know that this twin can be as talkative as her sister, though her soft spoken words somehow cut off the extra noise.

"Sorry." He replied when he remembered that his hand was still on her mouth. Mathilda blushed and casted her eyes on the floor.

"I'm sorry. I should not act like that. I was just curious that all." Ludwig dismissed it with a waved of his hand and directed his arm to the opposite hall.

"I'll tell you about it. But right now, we still haven't taken our breakfast. Shall we discuss it there?" Mathilda then looked up and smiled and followed the prince to the dining hall.

Once inside the hall, Mathilda was not surprised to see only her uncle there drinking his morning coffee and reading the newspaper. The Italians had proven to not be early risers.

"_Bon matin_, Mathilda. Ludwig." He smiled at both of them and set the newspaper aside.

"I heard from the maids that the Prince is here." He asked as Mathilda took her seat and grabbed a piece of bread from the plate.

"_Oui_. And he even asked for me. But he quickly lost interest." Francis gave a humph.

"That's rude of him. He shouldn't take his eyes away from a beauty." Mathilda just munched the bread.

Ludwig cleared his throat before stating. "About your enquiry earlier, Lady Mathilda." She gave him her undivided attention and he was a bit nervous with how her innocent face looked at him. Francis just smiled and rested his chin on his hand.

"Prinz Federick is an old friend of Gilbert's. they met on the military. It seems the prince had taken a liking to mein bruder for he gave a light to the boring army life."

"Oh? And he is here just because he missed his old friend?" Francis' playful tone had caused Ludwig's brow to twitch.

"Nein! He is here because he wants to know why he quit the military." Both of the blond gasped.

"Gilbert seriously did it?" Francis asked in amusement. He remembered why he was here was because he was threaten by Gilbert because he didn't want to resign his rank, but now he did.

Mathilda's mind was spinning. She didn't know if she was sad for Gilbert for destroying his dreams or be diligent that he would do this for her.

"Ja." Ludwig then turned to the smiling twin.

"I don't blame you, Lady Mathilda." Mathilda looked at him.

"I'm happy that you're the one my bruder married." Mathilda smiled some more and Francis laughed in delight. He has really taken responsibility for his actions. Gilbert, the infamous rake in Europe had been chained down by a small shy girl. Ludwig smiled as well, for his older brother had finally grown up.

"Quick. We must celebrate Gilbert's maturity with a drink." Francis said as he got up from his chair and headed for the kitchen.

"It's still morning, Francis." Ludwig sighed as he followed the Frenchman to the kitchen to stop him from getting any wine. Or beer at this hour.

Mathilda grinned happily at her seat. She rubbed her slightly swollen abdomen and talked to her unborn child.

"Did you hear that, sweetie? Papa, will be with us now." She giggled some more in pure joy but jumped when the door was suddenly slummed opened. Lovina was grumpier than usual as she walked to the hall.

"Good morning."Mathilda said but was ignored as the angry Italian grabbed bread and devour it with much anger that she pitied it. But it wouldn't ruin her mood for she was too happy about today.

Kiku came strolling in with another still sleepy Italian behind him. He greeted Mathilda before helping Felicia to sit.

That evening, when the Prinz had insisted to go home, did Gilbert went to Mathilda's room.

"Mathilda?" He was greeted with a pregnant woman running at him. He grabbed her, and she surprised him with a kiss full on the lips. Gilbert's scarlet eyes were wide but returned the kissed as he moaned to the feeling of Mathilda's hand massaging his scalp. They broke the kissed a few seconds later.

Both of them were a panting mess.

"Is that a good night kiss?" Gilbert teased they went to the bed. Mathilda surprised him some more when she pushed Gilbert on the bed and she straddled him.

"Wow, Mathilda." Gilbert grinned at the blushing wife of his. She bend down to kiss him again while running her hands all over his clothed chest. After a few more heated kissed, Mathilda got the courage to start removing Gilbert's attire.

With shaky hands, she slipped off his jacket and shirt. Gilbert helped her by not moving his hips too much. Once his chest was bare to the world, Gilbert could see that Mathilda was at her limit when she stopped at his breeches.

"Here, let me help." He helped her, removed his pants while lying on the bed. Once that was gone, Mathilda went back into kissing him and roaming her hands all over his body.

Gilbert then took his time removing her night gown. Once it was removed, he gingerly placed his left hand on her obvious pregnancy. Mathilda stopped kissing him when Gilbert was much more into just rubbing circles on her swollen abdomen.

"What is the matter?" Feeling a bit conscious now, Mathilda tried to get up from his lap, but Gilbert hold her down with his other hand.

He chuckled and bent up to met his wife half way.

"He's getting bigger isn't he?" Mathilda blushed when Gilbert's scarlet eyes were so soft and caring. It was unusual to the loud mouthed prince.

"Oui, she it." Gilbert raised a brow at her.

"She? But I want a boy." Gilbert whined and went back to lie down on the bed without removing his hand away from the stomach.

Mathilda just giggled and lie on top of him, being careful not to squish her obvious stomach.

"Let's just pray for a healthy baby." Gilbert looked at her and smiled.

"I know it will be an awesome baby." He then rolled them over to ravish his wife once again.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you invisiblemanda for being just an awesome editor!**

**I had a hard time writing this chapter, for one it has a real historical figure in it. I'm not so sure about how King Frederick William would act, but I assumed it's like this.**

**I used Prinz for Frederick to avoid any confusion. As well as to make a clear statement that his not a ruling Prince for he is the heir to the throne. While Gilbert and Ludwig's title is a ruling prince, meaning they are not Royals but nobleman. Anyway, Prinz is just the German spelling for Prince.**

**Fun Facts:**

**Frederick William was the son of king Frederick William III and Louisa of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He was educated by tutors, mainly experienced civil servants. Though he was completely unsoldier like by nature, his experiences in the German War of Liberation (1813–15) against Napoleon left lasting traces on his political and intellectual development. He became and remained a disciple of the German Romantic movement, with its nostalgia for the Middle Ages.**

**He was a draftsman interested in both architecture and landscape gardening and was a patron of several great German artists, including architect****Karl Friedrich Schinkel****and the composer****Felix Mendelssohn****. Married**** to ****Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria****in 1823.**

**A stroke in 1857 left the king partially paralyzed and largely mentally incapacitated, and his brother William served as regent from 1858 until the king's death in 1861, at which point he acceded the throne himself as****William I**

**Oktoberfest/****die Wiesn****is a 16-day festival celebrating****beer and****ducks held annually in****Munich****,****Bavaria****,****Germany****, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest****fair****, with more than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year. The latest with was on September 22 – October 7, 2012.**

**Thanks for the comments and please continue to pour some more.**

**Have a wonderful and peaceful day!**


	19. Chapter 19

**I don't own hetalia!**

**Special thanks to invisiblemanda for editing this chapter. Stay safe now!**

* * *

_. . . Apparently I won't be able to go to England as planned. Not until Gilbert is convinced that I'm fit to travel the long distance. He requested a physician to check on me yesterday, but it was cancelled when the Prince of Prussia came by to visit. So I'm still waiting for the OK from the doctor. Have you known this all along, Yue? That Gilbert is a close friend of the Prince of Prussia?! It was a shock for me, but I'm still so pleased that Gilbert had chosen his child above the military. I feel a little bad though for not destroying his dream._

_P.S. How's my sister? See you soon._

_Love Mathilda._

Mathilda smiled with content as she re-read her letter before folding it and placing it on the crisp envelope. She then went to the fireplace and took the well melted blue sealing wax and poured it on the enveloped before sealing it with the Beilschmidt seal. Aldrick had given to her before leaving for Munich, stating that "You're a member of the family now. Use this wisely." He also gave her some money of her own. She was rather mortified when given to her but he assured her it was just a small amount, if you could say a 1000 Prussian _Thaler_ is a humble sum. She could buy two small properties back in America with this much money.

"I guess that you'll have a secure life, little one." She talked to her stomach and ringed for a footman to deliver her mail. She walked slowly to the library. Gilbert and his brother had gone to town to get a doctor for her. She had askedd Gilbert a few days ago when will she be able to go back to England for the time of Yue's birth. Gilbert's face was mortified with the idea of his pregnant wife going that long journey.

So after a few heated debates and arguments. Gilbert would only allow her to go if a doctor said so. But it was cancelled yesterday with the sudden visitor, so she now waits for them in the massive library of the Beilschmidt castle.

Once she was halfway through a book, the library door opened and in walked Kiku. Mathilda closed her book, which she was reading for the third time and greeted Kiku.

"_Guden Morgen_, Kiku." She was after all practising her German. Kiku sighed in relief once his brown eyes were upon her.

"Ohayōgozaimasu, Mathilda-sama. Gilbert and Ludwig-sama have arrived with the doctor."

"Oh. Thank you." She then walked with him to the hall. On the way to salon, Kiku pulled her to go to her room.

"Gilbert-sama, asked me to tell you to go and wait at your room." Mathilda raised her brow but nodded at her understanding.

"Thank you for coming Dr. Klein." Gilbert thanked the well plump doctor again for what seemed like a hundred times. Ludwig just sighed at his brother's sudden nervousness, but he thought he might also be that way when his wife is sick. Gilbert had knocked on his door at unholy hours in the morning and demanded to go with him to hunt a doctor for Mathilda. He asked his brother what had happened to Mathilda, but was only ignored so he let it go. He could never understand his brother's mind.

"Yes, well I would never deny a visit from my favourite family." The elderly doctor with round spectacles smiled as they walked around the castle. Ludwig smiled inwardly at the memory of the doctor. He was a happy old fellow that would always jest with his brother whenever he came by.

"So what seemed to be the problem Gilbert?" Dr. Klein asked the nervous albino besides him.

"Well, you see, my wife wanted-"

"You have a wife?" The old doctor stopped on his tracked and stared with pale blue eyes at the prince.

"Well yes, so I was say-"

"When did this happened?" The doctor was a little red in the face and Ludwig was afraid that they might need another doctor if this one fainted. The doctor turned to Ludwig.

"You're brother got married and you didn't even invite me?" He pointed a plump finger at the two defensive princes.

"I have known you two since you were born from you mother, how nice that woman is. May her soul rest in peace." The last few words were in whisper just for respect and he went back to glaring at the two ungrateful prince. "And you didn't invite me? I'm your uncle for heavens shake!"

Mathilda was startled at the sudden shouting outside her door, so she took a look. She never presumed it was Lovina, she never fight at this early hour. So what she saw shocked her and made her smiled a little.

Two of the strongest men she knew were looking quite pitiful with that elderly half their size shouting at them in German.

"I pity your mother now. How could her sons be so irresponsible! Not even a message or a letter." The elderly doctor was then just mumbling to himself and Gilbert sighed a relief and his scarlet eyes looked up to see his smiling wife. He went pasted his uncle and hugged her for dear life.

"Help us." He whispered to her and she looked at him with a smirk on her face.

"You seemed to be in a lot of trouble to let an elderly man shout at you like that." Gilbert then smirked as he pulled her to the still angry doctor.

"Well, we are after all the sons of our father." Then the doctor snapped his fingers that surprised the rest of them.

"Ah right, its Aldrick's fault. By the way, where is that old cot? He never comes see me ever since Maria died." Now Mathilda was puzzled.

"Maria?" She asked Gilbert softy, he smiled sweetly, but never looked at her as he say, "It's my Mutti." Now that she thought about it, Mathilda didn't know anything of Gilbert's history, other than he was bullied when he was young. Maybe she should start learning more about her husband.

"Mathilda, let me introduce to you our uncle, Doctor Michel Klein. He is the older brother of our mother." The small plumped man with wrinkled on his rather handsome face, if he was younger, and his platinum blond hair was combed back much like Ludwig's. He also had the same pale blue eyes as Ludwig. He stopped his ranting and smiled sweetly at Mathilda.

"Its good to finally see you." He went to hugged her and she blushed when he pulled away to looked at her in the eye.

"You have been busy Gilbert." He said as he placed his black leather bag on the nearby chair, bringing out a stethoscope.

"Now, don't be afraid I just wanted to check your pulse." He placed the cool metal piece on her wrist and listen softly while the other males stared in silent.

"My, you're a healthy girl. A little thin, but it seems to me you're in a perfect condition to hold the baby." Ludwig then chocked at his own saliva with the sudden knowledge.

"There's a room, doctor. Maybe we should go-"

"Hush, now boy. I'll tell the lady when to go in or not." Gilbert's vein's was throbbing at his forehead. He loved his uncle but he can be a pain sometimes.

After returning his instrument, he pushed Mathilda to the room but before saying to them. "We need privacy." And slamming the door in the two princes' faces.

Once the door was closed Gilbert sighed in annoyance and rubbed his face with his pale hands.

"I love him, but he can really be a pain sometimes." He told his brother. When he wasn't given a response he turned to see Ludwig was a little pale.

He snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"Hello, Ludwig. You alright in there?" Ludwig snapped out of it and looked at his brother with a lot of questions going on his head.

"Lady Mathilda is with child?" Gilbert blinked at him and then smacked his forehead with his hand while laughing.

"Kesese, right, I never got to tell you before. Ja, she is." Ludwig blinked at his brother's prideful face while saying that his wife was with child. And they planned to go back to England?

"And you plan to go to England with a pregnant woman?" Ludwig raised a question at his smiling brother.

He sighed before answering.

"It's not my idea. Mathilda wanted to go back to see Yue's birth." Ludwig stared at his suddenly tense brother again.

"And you're alright with this?"

"Of course not! I don't' want to risk hers or the baby's life." He then glared at the door when they heard a sudden yelp inside. Ludwig paled again and was planning to get away.

"Can we not stay here?"

"Nein." Ludwig looked at his brother again, he might be sick to his stomach but he can't leave his brother alone in the hall when he knows what's going on inside that room, so he pulled his brother to seat on the nearby chair and he lend on the wall.

-^J^-

Mathilda shyly lay on the bed as the doctor requested. She stared at the ceiling and was a bit shaky. She will know if her baby is strong enough to travel or not so her fate was rested on the hands of the doctor, who was mumbling around the room.

"Please relax, Martha."

"Mathilda." The doctor blinked before laughing.

"Right, Mathilda. Sorry, I would blamed it on my old age but let's just say it's a young man's lack of responsibilities." Mathilda smiled weakly at him. He seemed nice but she couldn't shake the feeling that he held a grudge for not being invited at their wedding.

He then placed a white cloth over her chest and told her to spread her legs.

"Do not worry, dear. This won't hurt a bit."

Mathilda took a deep breath and tired relaxing her mind then she yelped at the sudden intrusion.

"Sorry." The doctor said as he continues to do his thing. What felt like hours was a mere seconds and the doctor emerged from the white cloth and smiled happily at her.

"It seems that your baby is quite strong and well." He wiped his hands and went to his bag again.

"I might say your about three months along." Mathilda then sat up suddenly which make the doctor frantic.

"I say the baby is healthy but don't ruined it by being careless." Mathilda apologized and asked the question that had been on her mind the whole time.

"But can I still travel?" The doctor blinked at her and smiled.

"Of course, a nice walk in the garden is good for the baby."

"No, I mean voyage to another country." That must had taken the doctor off, for his eyes widen but soften when he saw the depressed looked on her eyes.

"Is your mother in another country? It's alright to travel as all as you tell your _idiotic_ husband to avoid bumpy roads." She smiled widely and thanked him.

"No worries my dear, Martha. You are family now and I can't wait to deliver this new great-nephew of mine." Mathilda's eyes widen, and it's not because of the wrong name he used, but the idea of knowing the gender now was too much.

"You know it's a boy?" She smoothed her stomach as he was about to open the door.

"_Nein._ But I like to call it my great-nephew." He then laughed quite uniquely like Gilbert's as he opened the door.

Gilbert jumped from his eat when he heard the door opened and his uncle laughing. He went to him and bombarded with question.

"How is it doctor? Is Mathilda alright? Is the baby fine? Will she able to tra-" he was stopped with a punched on the shoulder. The doctor laughed and Gilbert cursed softly. For an old elderly man, he can still give a good punch.

"Relax, Gilbert. She's fine and so is your son." He then went to Ludwig and looked him in the eye.

"And you, Ludwig, when are you going to get married?" He coughed and Gilbert laughed at the sudden beetroot colour of his brother's face.

"W-well. I – not really re-" the doctor humphed and glared at his nephew.

"Don't even think of not inviting me, now. I'll hunt you down and you knew I would." Ludwig nodded and then saluted at his uncle.

The doctor stayed until luncheon and he was able to meet and joked Francis. As well as the news of Mathilda being with child spread like wild fire in the castle.

Francis, Mathilda and the Italians as well as Kiku were all laughing at the doctor's stories. They might be all enjoying it but the two princes' faces were red as the tomato on their plate.

"When Gilbert was about nine, he was so cute back then. Kesese, so he wanted to prove to Aldrick that he was a grown man and drank two bottle of beer. Straight. Absolutely drop death drunk." Gilbert growled and smacked his head on the table. Mathilda pitied her husband but it was the only way she could get information about him.

"So Aldrick called me and asked his first born was a little low on head." He gestured his index finger in a circular motion besides his temple. That made Lovina cracked up even more.

"I like your uncle, potato bastard. It seems there's some good genes in your system."

"Of course there is!" the doctor said with a pride lingered on his voice. "It runs in the Klein's genes. The Beilschmidt is a good family, but to stiff and serious if you asked me. I still wonder why my sweet little sister would marry into one." He then casted a caring eyes to the two humiliated princes and whispered softly to himself. "But I'm glad she did." He smiled and raised his glass to make a toast.

"Here's to a healthy pregnancy for both Gilbert and Martha!"

"Mathilda!" Gilbert corrected but was ignored as the doctor gobbled the wine down.

The rest drink their wine minus Mathilda that was replace with grape juice.

"I must say, this wine is most exquisite I have ever tasted in my entire life." The doctor said with true pleasure in his face. Francis was happy and both talked about the fine wines around the world. Meanwhile, the Italians were talking to Ludwig and Kiku, leaving Gilbert eats his meat and Mathilda smiling at her food.

"You should eat you know." Gilbert told her but not looking at her. Mathilda nodded and grab the fork and stabbed the lamb.

That afternoon, Mathilda and Gilbert were packing their stuff for England.

"Are you sure that doctor Klein precisely says you are well enough to travel?" Mathilda sighed at her husband question. He seemed to be more nervous than her now.

"_Oui_, Gilbert. He just reminded that we must avoid any bumpy road." Gilbert nodded his head and just stared at Mathilda as he moved from once corner of the room to the other.

"Are you definitely su-"

"Gilbert!" Same man stopped and blinked at the lady walking towards him. She pulled his head down and stared eye to eye with him.

"Gilbert, relax. Everything will be fine. As long as you don't throw me out of a carriage, the baby will be fine." Gilbert swallowed before nodding his head.

"We'll leave in the fortnight." Gilbert said before going to his room.

-^J^-

As the sun was about to set, a lonely Italian was looking out of the hills. Her mind was in a little turmoil. She had missed the harvest. Her grandfather will definitely kill her. She should have left last week, but Ludwig seemed to be standing strong. She could definitely see some progress as to how he spent his free time, not locking himself up in his room or the library but spending it with Felicia and that's what she wanted.

She let out a sighed, and brought her feet to her chin. She was seated on the soft warm grass, humming an Italian hymn.

"Come Thou Almighty King." Lovina stopped her humming and jerked her head to the right to see the smiling Spanish gardener came out of nowhere.

"What?" He sat down beside her and stared the hills beyond before saying in that sexy voice of his.

"Come Thou Almighty King. That's what you're humming." His luscious green eyes were mesmerizing to the slightly blushing Italian, but she mentally smack herself at the sudden pause and glared at him.

"And how do you know that?" He smiled at the distance with an expression so peaceful that Lovina thought he was remembering something in the past.

"We used to sing it. Back in my old Spanish Cathedral, that is." He returned to looked at her.

"I'm sorry if I ever offended you last week." Lovina blinked then shook her hand in the air to dismiss it.

"I have long forgotten." He then surprised her more when he suddenly graded her hand in the midair. He looked at it with a curiosity in his handsome face. He turned the hand palm up and held it with his other hand. Lovina tried to pull her hand away but his grip was firm. She was afraid of showing her hands to anyone as she had been working in the field herself so she had gotten cuts and scratches from the vines. Her face was warming with embarrassment and no other man had ever touched her besides her grandfather.

"You have quite a nice feminine hand for a man." She then smacked his head with her other hand

"Ouch." He grabbed his head and rubbed at the sore stop and looked at her_. He still thinks I'm a male?!_ Lovina's mind was racing to either smack or shout at him that she's a girl.

"I'm sorry, but you seemed so feminine I just thought you live an alleviate life. Being a son of a wine company." He defensively raised both his hands. Lovina crossed both of arms and glared at him.

"And this concerns you?" he smiled sleepily at her and that made her heart flipped.

"I'm just curious. You seemed to be so much different than Feli and all. That, I'm just curious." She just blinked at him and sighed as she got up.

"Wait!" He called to her and ran to her side. "Did I offended you again?" _You have no idea_, Lovi thought but still gave him an answer that he wanted to hear.

"No."

"Great!" His sudden cheerful voice raised Lovi's brows and shrieked when she was pulled with him to the other side of the garden.

"Let go of me you. You. Bastard!" He just giggled at her foul mouth.

He let her to the plantation and he smiled happily showing her all of the plants he was caring. Lovina blinked at his show enthusiasm. She had never known anyone, other than her sister, that would smiled the smallest little thing.

"This here is my price possession, Lovi." He showed her a bright red circular fruit. She turned it around and then gave a small smile at the sudden realization that it was a tomato.

"I like that." The Spanish man said and Lovi jerked to looked at him in question.

"Huh?"

"That smile. You never know it but you look more like a _bella signora_." Lovina blushed. Then she remembered he thought she was a guy.

"Idiota! Are you. . .?" She can't seem to figure out how his behaviour out but Antonio just giggled and shook his head. Somehow, that has pleased Lovina.

"Nope, but even so, only a blind man wouldn't be able to see how beautiful you would be as a woman."

Lovina spent the rest of the afternoon with Antonio and she had never felt this free since her parents passed away.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you invisiblemanda! **

**As well as Koneko144**** for the Japanese tip****.**

**I hope you all enjoy this as well.**

**The****Thaler****(sometimes****Reichsthaler****) was the currency of****Prussia****until 1857.**

**Come Thou Almighty King****is a****composition****called "Italian Hymn" which was written by Giardini Felice (1716–1796).**

**Lovina's Italian Hymn is this link, if you are curious, you can listen to it at Youtube:**

**/watch?v=SB0pQGR8NU4 **or ** /watch?v=9w84HaVdubo&feature=related**

**Doctor Michel Klein is a total complete OC. He just came to be and sorry if you know someone has the same name. It's the some common name in Germany. Klein also means 'small' in German. And it seems fitting. I wanted to show some of Gilbert's mother side as well. Since I can't seem to base anything on the real Hetalia franchise, I made one up. Hope you like him.**

**The 'invisible Canada' joke is here again! I just made it a bit different for Dr. Klein can't seemed to remember her exact name and always calls her Martha, for that a common German name in the 19th century. Along with Michel for male.**

**Thank you once again for those who commented. **

**Have safe day everyone!**


	20. Chapter 20

**I don't own hetalia**

**Thank you invisiblemanda for being a patience editor for me!**

**Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrates it!**

* * *

"Amelia! Stop running around the house!" Arthur bawled to the hyper blond woman. She giggled in delight as her husband run after her in the huge Kirkland Estate.

"Catch me if you can, Artty!" Arthur growled at her and run past an amused Russian and a shocked Chinese. His shout of "It's Arthur! You bloody Yank!" echoed off of the walls.

"You'd think they would have change since they got married." Ivan said in amusement. They had only just arrived last week and they already wrecked the tranquillity of the once peaceful estate. Yue just sighed and rubbed her forehead from the noise.

The thunderous footstep stopped down the hall and both heard a loud squeal from a curtain American twin. Ivan chuckled silently and escorted his wife to the garden.

"It seems to me that Arthur has caught his prey." Yue smiled as well at the soft moans coming from the study. That sure wasn't an appropriate place for their love making!

Just as they were about to step on the grass, a footman came with a silver tray and a well nice envelope. Yue thanked him before turning to look at the seal. It's a Beilschmidt's seal. She hadn't seen it in a while. Ivan peeked over her shoulder in curiosity. His head on her shoulder tickled her a little.

"Who is it from?"

"It's from the Beilschmidt." She opened the seal and reads the she read it, her smile evaporated and she sighed.

"Is it not good news?" Ivan inquired after seeing the look of dread on his wife's face.

"It's from Mathilda, she can't come here if the doctor doesn't approve." She felt her husband touched her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Yue just smiled and placed the paper back its envelope.

"It's for the best. I don't want to hurt her."

^J^

"Land!" Gilbert shouted on top of his lungs as he bent down to touch the pavement of the English docks, causing other passengers to stare at him in an odd way. Mathilda blushed at all their eyes staring at them, but still pulled her husband up.

"Gilbert, please refrain from acting like a child." Her soft tone was backed up with Kiku's equally polite tone. "Yes, Gilbert-sama, people are staring."

"How could I not? This unpredictable weather of England has caused me to lose lunch." He rubbed his stomach with a growl. True to be told, they were on a smooth sail from French sea but sometime after luncheon, when were crossing the English sea , the captain announced that there was a small storm heading their way. But assured them that it was only small. Gilbert grumbled at the thought of it again. _Small my arse_, he thought, he didn't mention that the ship was about to tumble overboard from the strong wind that caused a lot of passengers to go to the railing and send their luncheon onto the sea, Gilbert included.

"I still can't believe I hurled. That was so unasweme. That Frenchman was lucky that he stayed at France." He turned too looked at their third companion, who was smiling quite politely.

"How come you weren't affected Kiku?" Even Mathilda had a small dizzy spell from the trip but ,somehow, the Japanese man wasn't affected at all.

He smiled his brightest and gave an answer that irritated Gilbert more. "I came from the East. We do have a lot of typhoon there."

"Well. This is way I prefer to travel on la-" He then suddenly remembered his pregnant wife and turned suddenly that shocked her more.

"Mathilda! Are you alright? Is the baby alright?" His scarlet eyes moved back and forth between his wife and her slightly swell of her belly.

Mathilda blushed but smiled at him and patted her stomach to assure him that they were fine.

"_Oui,_ Gilbert. We are well." He sighed and turned to Kiku, who staring wide eyed at his surroundings in the London Docks. This was, after all, his first time to be on the island nation. For the past few weeks, he had heard them discussing going to Lincolnshire and Kiku asked them with his overly polite tone and manner that got them more nervous than he was. He was sent from Japan to learn more about the Westerners and the Beilschmidt family was happy to accept the exchange student, now he got a bonus tour in England and he didn't want to waste his opportunity

"Kiku." Gilbert said at the astonish Japanese man.

"_Hai_ Gilbert-sama?" Kiku replayed.

"Keep an eye on Birdie and find us a carriage that we can rent. I'll go check on our luggage." He bowed to him and went happily with Mathilda.

Five minutes later, the overly happy Kiku had turned to a nervous wreck. Mathilda should pity him but the way he dressed, with his blue Kimono and wooden shoes seemed so out of place here in the busy streets of London. People, taller than him were eyeing him with interest but soon ignored him when their personal business attract them back.

"Kiku, please relax." Mathilda had followed Kiku to the noisy streets just a few feet away from the equally noise dock. It was after all rush hour in the afternoon and finding a rental carriage is hard to find.

"_Mōshiwakearimasenga, shikashi, dono yō ni anata wa koko ni basha o kariru nodesu ka_?" Mathilda blinked at him. He must speak in his native tongue when his nervous. Kiku noticed this and his already anxious expression turned pink and bowed at Mathilda constantly.

"Sorry, sorry." Mathilda smiled stiffly, they were attracting people's attention again.

"It's alright Kiku." He stopped his bowing and turned to the busy streets again.

"_Ano_, how do you call a carriage driver's attention?" Mathilda shocked him as she went to the main road, panicking the Japanese man, and gave a loud whistle bending her thumb and pointer in her mouth.

A sturdy carriage immediately stopped in front of her. Kiku's mouth dropped low in disbelief.

"H-how d-did you?" Mathilda blushed as him as she told her experience.

"When you are living in America, you learn to whistle quite loudly to be heard."

"That's a nice carriage there, well done Kiku." Both turned to Gilbert's jolly expression as he let go of the two luggages between his arms and two more in his hand and the sleeping bear's cage. Gilbert was in disbelief at the bear's ability to sleep through the huge storm. The carriage drive started to load their stuff on top of the carriage and Gilbert showed him the direction to the Kirkland estate.

Kiku helped Mathilda up into the carriage and place the sleepy bear on his owner's lap before he observed the view of the sun setting. Gilbert got in with a displeased expression.

"What's the matter?" Mathilda inquired her husband seated in front of her. Kiku was to her right and ignored their conversation. When the carriage started moving, he took out paper and a brush as well as an ink bottle that he had explain to her once it stained, it can never be removed.

"The driver doesn't want to drive us all the way to Lincolnshire, saying its getting dark. Lazy bastard." Mathilda turned to the window and true enough, the sun was setting. Driving in the dark wasn't a good idea.

"So we are staying at a nearby inn." He turned to Kiku, who was scribbling with his brush.

"Is that alright with you, Kiku?" the Japanese man turned his deep brown eyes to Gilbert and nodded his head and said in a firm voice. "Hai!"

^J^

Yue was teaching Hong how to use their traditional calligraphy in the family living room. He was being firm on her for not holding the brush correctly.

"No, Hong. You hold it like this, try stiffing your hand but soften your wrist." The three year old child was glaring at the bamboo brush in his hand and the paper in front of him. His 'fat' sister was disturbing his morning stroll by declaring that he is old enough to hold a brush. His obnoxious brother had been teaching him to use paint brush since he had gotten back from his honeymoon with the loud female.

Giving up, he let go of the brush and stared at his sister. She sighed and took the brush and dipped it in the ink stone.

"Here, let me show you." She pulled up her sleeve and wrote on the paper with graceful strokes that amazed the young boy. She smiled happily at her work and put down the brush and showed her work to her younger brother. It was his name in Chinese, and he smiled softly and grabbed a new piece of paper and grabbed the brush to follow his sister's example.

Yue smiled at his brother's sudden interest to learn again. A soft chuckle came behind her and she turned awkwardly on the floor to see Arthur smiling at her as he lean on the door frame with both of his hand in his pocket.

"I see you have the art of letting child go your way." He walked towards them and sat on the coach in front of them. Hong stopped what he was doing to turn to look at his half-brother.

"Arthur." He acknowledge and went back to his writing.

"No, Hong, you should call him, _gege_." Being ignored, Yue tried getting up from the floor, maybe sitting with Hong on the floor was a bad idea. It might damage her pride, she swallowed it and gave Arthur a pleading look of despair. "Help me?" She threw both her arms in the air and he grabbed it as he gently pulled her up. His eyes widely to her huge stomach. She was wearing her Chinese traditional clothes that were supposed to hide her condition, but somehow that didn't work.

"I know, I'm fat." Yue gave a deadpan tone. Arthur blushed as he had been caught staring, quite rudely if you ask Yue.

"Sorry." Yue's attention turned to her half-brother when he pulled her gown and showed her his word. Failure was written all over the written word. Yue cracked a smile and help him with the strokes on a new paper.

Arthur sat back down on the couch and observed how his two Chinese siblings talked about their heritage. His emerald eyes went back and forth between Yue's angelic face to his half-brother's frown ones. If he hadn't went to America and met Amelia two years ago, Yue's massive stomach might be half his.

"ARTHUR!" Said name sighed at his wife's loud voice. From the softness of it, he could tell that she was somewhere half across the estate.

"It seems like someone is looking for you." Arthur was shocked at first at Yue's evil smirk and laugh, but smiled back at her when his wife shouted again. He got up and patted Michael's head before leaving the room. Michael, who was usually quiet, growled at him then returned his concentration to his writing..

"Arthur! Where are you?!" Arthur run towards the voice and prayed that his wife hadn't broken another one of his father's precious collection. Then he heard a crashed. Too late.

"AMELIA!" Might as well join in. The sooner he found his wife, the better. He went into the kitchen and saw their head cook was scolding the sad looking Amelia. He sighed at the carnage she did. Apparently Amelia had knock over the cook while running and the floor was filled with bake biscuits that was supposed to be for luncheon.

"Amelia." His voice had stopped the ranting as well as brought shine to his wife's face.

"Arthur!" She run to him and was about to touch him when the cook turned her anger to him.

"Sir Arthur! As much as you like to cook, but your father has forbidden you to enter the kitchen." Arthur blushed as Amelia laughed at the memory to Arthur's cooking, if you can call it that, back in America.

"Please sir and madam, out you go." They were both thrown out of the kitchen, gently and politely if you can say of the plump cook that was with the family for decades.

Once again in the quite hall, both blonds look at each other and laughed their heart out from the experience.

"HAHA! I can't believe your own father band you from going to the kitchen." Amelia tried saying as she clutched her stomach from the pain of laughing too much. Arthur for once wasn't mad for being laughed atbut patted his wife's shoulder and smirked happily to her.

"He didn't technically forbid me to go. It was Yue's idea." Amelia suddenly turned a little stiff after hearing about Arthur's old lover. Funny, he was hers but somehow she could still feel like he cared for Yue much more than a brother-sister relationship should be. Arthur noticed the sudden mood change and coughed a little to clear the thick dead atmosphere.

"It doesn't mean anything Ameli-"

"Why should you listen to her? You can go to your own kitchen if you want." Her cerulean blue eyes were hinted with so much anger than Arthur didn't want to be there.

"Even if you're cooking is that bad." Arthur sorted at that.

"You shouldn't let her control you. Fight for your freedom da-" He cut her off with a quick kiss on her soft lips. Amelia's eyes returned to the lovely shade of peaceful blue that Arthur had fallen in love with.

"I followed her order because I don't want to burn the whole estate down." Amelia's mouth opened but closed again when nothing witty was going to come out of her. Arthur then continued.

"I did disobey her once and cause a fire that almost burned me and the staff." He turned his emerald eyes to the floor.

"Don't think bad of her, Amelia. She is your sister-in-law after all." Amelia was still silent and Arthur continued talking.

"I know we had a history together. But that's just it. History. It's all in the past." He pulled her chin up so she looked at him in the eyes.

"And I'm looking at the present and future. My present and future." Amelia blushed as his intense stare that making her legs weak.

"You are now my everything, Amelia."

"Does that mean I'm your Hero?" Arthur rolled his eyes at his wife for ruining the mood but still he bends down to kiss her lips again. This time, however, he circled his arms around her back and pulled her into a deeper kiss. Their tongues fought each other and Amelia's hand went straight to tangle the already messy hair of the Englishman, making it even more disarrayed. Arthur gave a moan to signal his approval.

In their intense affection for each other, they had forgotten that they were in the hallway and they jerked apart when a footman coughed to call their attention.

Arthur pulled Amelia behind him, for he knew he had unfastened a few of her buttons and was trying to save her modesty.

"What is it?" Arthur didn't mean to be rude to the footman, but he had cut off his sweet moment with his wife and he was a bit edgy.

"Lady Mathilda and Prince Gilbert are here at the saloon sir."

"Maddie is here!?" The overly excited twin run towards the saloon, leaving Arthur and the footman standing in shocked of her speed.

Amelia turned a left and a right before seeing the sight of the saloon hallway. Unable to contain her excitement, she shouted her twin's name.

"Maddie!"

Mathilda was standing looking at the saloon with Kuma sniffing all over the place. It has been months now since she has come here. Gilbert was talking to Kiku about the architectural design that's different from their home back in Prussia.

She then hear her sister's voice, which caused Kiku dropped his brush in shocked, and said twin, who was wearing blue gown came running to hug her. She smiled and laughed and hugged her overly excited twin as well.

"I missed you sooooooo much!" Mathilda smiled happily at her twin's eagerness affection.

"I miss you too." Amelia let go of her hugged and scanned Mathilda from head to toe, stopping at her midsection. She bent down and smiled at the slightly swollen tummy.

"How's my little hero then?" Mathilda laughed and rubbed stomach.

"We are fine."

Gilbert smirked as he scrutinized the twins' interaction with each other. It reminds him of Ludwig and himself.

"_Ano_, is that Mathilda-sama's sister?" Kiku quietly asked and Gilbert nodded his head.

"Ja, actually they are twins." Kiku's eyes widen at that. They both of them seemed like the polar opposite of each other.

"Gilbert." Amelia's tone turned sour as she called her brother-in-law.

"What are you feeding my sister? She's too thin. Besides her growing tummy." Amelia had both of her hands on her hips and was glaring at the petrified German. He can deal with men but when it comes to women's anger, he can't seem to win against it.

"W-well, she seem-" He was cut off when Amelia's interest turned to the quite Japanese man beside him.

"Look at that robe, Mathilda." She ran towards the now scared Japanese student and started touching and observing his grey silk robe.

"Amelia, this is Kiku Honda from Japan." Mathilda tried introducing them.

"Kiku, this here is my twin sister Amelia Jones-Kirkland." Amelia let go of the robe and curtsied in front of him.

"Nice to meet you, Kiku." She smiled her sweetest grin that brought Kiku's light face to redden.

"_H-hai,_ nice to meet you too." She smiled and turned her attention again back to his robe.

"Where did you get this Kiku? It's so beautiful and smooth. Yue would love this." Kiku suddenly blinked at the mention of his supposed decease sister's name. But let it go; it can't be possible. After all '_Yue_' is a common name back in China.

A man with enormous thick brows that conceal his handsome appearance walked in. Kiku blinked in shock. _Western's are weird_, he thought. The man was introduced as Arthur Kirkland and Amelia's husband.

"Oh I forgot to introduce someone to you. Kuma, come here." And right on cue, a small white bear paddled from behind the couch and sat in front of Mathilda. Arthur quickly pulled Amelia away from the bear. The sudden movement shocked the bear and he went running to Gilbert.

"Hey!" The pale prince said as he picked up the scared bear.

"Gilbert. That's a bear!" Arthur point at the white mass of fur. Gilbert rolled his eyes and smoothed the bear.

"Ja, I know and its Mathilda's." Both blonds turned to Mathilda's paled face.

"I'm sorry if Kuma has scared you, but I assured you, he is nice bear." Seeing her twin in distress Amelia, being the hero, took a huge step toward the bear. She smiled sweetly at the thing that blinked at her before coming to licked her nose.

"Sorry." Gilbert tried holding the bear but he kept on moving on his arms and Amelia just laughed at the cuteness of the pair.

"Hey Maddie, have you ever notice that this bear looks a lot like Gilbert and his paleness if he was human." Gilbert raised his brow at this but Mathilda just blushed and nodded her head. Her sister knew her better than anyone.

After that ordeal, they all sat on the couches while waiting for Yue from her morning walk.

"Yue had told me you wouldn't be able to come." Arthur said seated on the couch. Biscuits and tea were scattered all over the table as well as Gilbert's mouth.

"I thought so at first, but the doctor told us that it was fine." Mathilda answered and wiped Gilbert's mouth with a napkin. Kiku was studying the English cup's design and ignored the new presences by the door.

"Sorry we're late." Ivan supplied as he was dragged by his wife to see her friends.

"Mathilda!" Kiku then froze at the sound of that Chinese accent. _It can't be_! His mind went back to his childhood where he was sure that his sister had died there at the street of China. He sneaked a peek and his heart stared pumping madly at the sight of his half-sister smiling at Mathilda. He tried to sneak away but stopped in his tracks when he felt that someone was staring at him. He was right, a very tall man with platinum blond hair was smiling at him with his blue-wait, are those violet eyes and he could fell an evil aura coming from him.

"Ivan look, at this cute little bea-" Yue stopped her excited pitch and stared at the man whom Ivan was staring.

"Da, it's a cute little bear, Yue." Ivan then went to his wife and Yue set Kuma back down on the floor.

"Yue?" Mathilda asked and everyone had turned to look at what was happing between the two Asians.

Kiku then turned to looked at Yue in the face, his own face expressionless as he met his sister's anxiety in her honey coloured eyes.

"Oh Yue, Ivan. I forgot to introduce to you, this is-"

"Wang Kiku." Yue finished for Mathilda and they could now feel the uneasiness in the atmosphere.

"Eh, no, his Honda. Kiku Honda. Right?" Mathilda turned to Kiku, his face was scaring her as well as Yue sudden tone when she spoke.

"I see you have grown well." Everyone's interest increased tenfold. They know each other, most of their minds were thinking.

Kiku said nothing in reply but bowed to her and left the room.

"Yue?" Ivan was worried at his wife and tried snapping her out of her trance. Tears were suddenly forming on her eyes and Ivan panicked some more. _He can't be her brother_, Ivan thought and Yue fainted on his arms caused the rest of them to jump in panic.

"Yue!" Arthur went to get his stepmother as Gilbert help Ivan carried the pregnant woman to the couch where they could lay her down.

Being in the army, he had acquired some first-aid skills and grabbed the empty tray and started fanning his Chinese friend.

"Ivan, do not suffocate her by being to close." He ordered, but the Russian wasn't moving so he turned to the twins to do something about him.

"Come on big guy, you, her and the baby to be fine right." Amelia tried talking to him and he gave in and stayed a few feet away from his wife. YueMei came with Arthur on her heels and she immediately checked her pulse and commanded the footman on what she needs.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you invisiblemanda! You have been such a great editor turned friend^J^**

**So what do you guys think about this chapter? I feel bad for Yue but it has to be done. For those who doesn't understand this chapter, it is because I portrait it more with the original story 'Wedding' in it. But still hope you guys did understand it without getting confused.**

**Chinese calligraphy****is a form of****calligraphy****widely practiced and revered in the****Sinosphere****, which often includes****China****,****Japan****,****Korea****, and****Vietnam****. The calligraphic tradition of East Asia originated and developed from****China****. There is a general standardization of the various****styles****of calligraphy in this tradition.**

**Chinese inkstones****are highly prized as art objects and an extensive bibliography is dedicated to their history and appreciation, especially in China. Also I like using it than the modern liquid. It feels afentic when you rube the solid ink to the inkstone. **

**Oh and you can't remove the stain, I don't know why but once it go on to your cloths, it can never be removed. However when you got it stain on your hands, it might take days before your natural skin peels off to totally remove the black ink stain. I know, I have been there and its an annoying sight.**

**I know how Hong feels, before learning how to write, I was so frustrated with how you hold the brush, I can't seem to hold it perfect for the my teacher's satisfaction. But true to be told, practise makes perfect it the key to write the perfect calligraphy.**

**Kimonos are traditionally made from a single bolt of fabric called a**_**tan**_**.**_**Tan**_**come in standard dimensions—about 14 inches wide and 12½ yards long—and the entire bolt is used to make one kimono. The finished kimono consists of four main strips of fabric—two panels covering the body and two panels forming the sleeves—with additional smaller strips forming the narrow front panels and collar.**

**Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad that someone is reading this story**

**Have a wonderful day everyone!**


	21. Chapter 21

**I don't own hetalia!**

**Special thanks to invisiblemanda for being an awesome editor!**

* * *

Ivan's mind was blank and he only saw his wife as she fainted in front of his eyes. Soon, his precious little wife is lifeless on the couch. He didn't notice YueMei shouting at Arthur to call his father and a doctor. His heart was beating quite loudly in his chest and it was a beat of fear. Fear of what had just happened to his wife.

"Ivan, it's going to be alright." A sweet voice snapped him out of the trance and he suddenly felt a lot of adrenaline rushing through his system. He promised Yue he wouldn't act on violence anymore but he needed to hit someone.

Shaking off the hand on his forearm, he went to hunt for that man that caused his wife distress, ignoring the shouts of his name.

"Ivan!" Amelia shouted to the retreating Russian and she turned back and forth between the people busily making sure that Yue was alright. She had a sudden feeling that Ivan was up to no good, so she took a breath and run straight for him.

The tall Russian's face was usually a peaceful child like face that everyone thought looked ssuspicious, but now his expression was darken. His brows were furrowed and his usual smiling lips were drawn down with a frown. His unique eyes were also different, for anyone with a will to live would have avoided him as he quickly strode with his long legs along the Kirkland estate, looking for his prey.

He went to the kitchen and saw the Japanese man talking to the cook. The anger in the Russian's system boiled tenfold. _He now plans to kill all of us?!_ Ivan's mind was in so much rage that his senses were gone and were replaced by pure animal instinct.

"You!" His voice was harsher than necessary and the cook shivered in fear. The Japanese man just nodded in acknowledgement of his presence, however Ivan wouldn't have any of that. He pulled the short Asian man by his collar and looked him in the eye.

"You're Yue's brother." It was more of a statement than a question. If the Japanese man was afraid, he didn't show it in his face as he stared right back at the intimidating Russian.

"Hai." He replied in a clear tone. Ivan then landed a strong blow Kiku's stomach. Kiku gasped and tried holding his abused abdomen and found it futile with the Russian still holding his collar. The servants in the kitchen were screaming now and running out get help.

"You caused Yue a lot of pain, little boy. I should return the favour." He deliberately threw the shorter man across the room. Kiku tried to grab onto something, but only knocked some pans onto the floor causing the room to echo with the sound of metal hitting the stone floor. If he hadn't learned any martial arts in the past, he would have knocked out cold by then. He growled in pain as he rubbed his abdomen, thinking how the painful landing on the floor will surely make his joints sore in the morning.

Ivan wasn't satisfied with it. He needed more, he needed to see those dark endless pit of emotionless cower in fear. He took out his knife hidden in his pants and went straight for the Japanese man still crouched down on the floor.

He sliced the knife through the air, causing the man to scream in pain as the knife broke the sensitive skin of his shoulder blade.

Ivan then laughed as he saw the crimson liquid flowing from the now stained knife and the upper shoulder of the man that caused Yue so much pain.

"Ivan!" The Russian's mind snapped out of its delusional state and turned unhappily to the intruder. There, standing in the doorway was no other than the annoying American he called sister-in-law.

"My gosh." Her face was priceless as she saw the scene in front of her. Ivan crouched down on the bleeding Japanese man with a knife still dangerously hanging in the air.

"Amelia, what is it? I hear screa-"Arthur stop short before his wife as he too saw the scene. Ivan clicked his tongue between his teeth in annoyance and stood up to walk past the couple.

"It's your problem now." He said before walking back to the salon to find his wife.

"Kiku, are you're alright?" Amelia quickly run toward the man and tried helping him up. He looked up at her with a small smile on his face.

"I'm all right, Amelia-sam-" he wasn't able to finished his sentence before darkness consumed his sight. The last thought was that his guilt has finally had been released.

"Arthur! Help me with this." Amelia commanded her husband like a general as she grabbed a random cloth and tried stop the blood from the wound.

"Bloody hell, Ivan had opened a deep one. This will definitely scar." Arthur said in shock as he saw the open wound. His robe will also be a ruined, he thought, as it was stained with blood as well a cut on the shoulder blade.

Mathilda stared speechless at the scene in front of her. Yue was still unconscious but the people surrounding her weren't screaming or running anymore. A strong hand was placed on her shoulder and she jumped a little in surprise.

"She's going to be alright, Mathilda." Gilbert assured her by squeezing her shoulder and she placed hers on top of his. Not a minute later, Ivan strode into the room with blood on his sleeves.

"_Mein Got_t!" Gilbert whispered as the intimidating Russian went to sit on the floor besides his wife, softly whispering to her.

"Ivan? Is that blood on your arms?" YueMei asked as she stared at her son-in-law still whispering at her daughter. He didn't replay, for the shout from Arthur caused her leave quickly.

They heard another scream and both Mathilda and Gilbert went out into the hall. There, Mathilda gasped at the bloody body of Kiku. YueMei was there also, shaking in fear at the mere sight of the Japanese man.

"I-is t-that Kiku?" Arthur and Amelia exchange a confused look but tried to calm her down so she could help him.

"How did yo- never mind. Mother ,please, Ivan cut him deeply." Arthur supplied but regretted it the moment he saw his stepmother's face.

"Ivan did this?" her face was either in pain or relief but it seemed clear to them that she didn't want to help the man.

"Mother, please, he might die from blood loss." Amelia, with her ever so eager to help others attitude, failed to notice that YueMei wasn't in the mood to help the man. Whatever happened in the past, he must had done something terrible to the Chinese woman for her to have such reaction, Mathilda thought.

It seems like a long moment before YueMei composed herself and instructed the two blonds to put Kiku on the another coach besides Yue.

"Oh my, the coach will be ruined." Arthur heard his stepmother groan, but he doubted that was she truly upset about.

Ivan gave a cold look to the fallen man, but did nothing more than that before returning to smile at his wife.

Ivan jerked when a shaking hand had touched his shoulder. He looked up to see Mathilda's scared face but he understood immediately what it meant. He was too big to be in the middle of the couches. So with one last kiss on his wife's brow, he stood up and went to the corner and observed the scene playing in front of his tired eyes. The adrenaline earlier had all but faded away, leaving him tired and worrying over his wife.

"What's wrong with this family?" Mathilda heard Gilbert whispered in agitation. He was a little shaken as well at what just happened. And it was only in the mid-morning. A servant came running in with boiling water as well as a bottle of whiskey.

Halfway through stopping the blood from over oozing out, YueMei stopped and remembered her daughter. She grabbed a small bottle from her gown and gave it to Ivan.

"Used this to wake Yue up." Ivan quickly took the clear bottle and Gilbert immediately knew what it was.

"Hey! Yue gave me that same bottle to wake Mathilda up." Gilbert sudden outburst wasn't missed and Arthur raised a brow at him.

"Why? I never heard her being sick." Amelia then gasped and her husband looked at her suspiciously.

"A-me-li-a." The tone was rather unsettling, he was glaring at his wife as though she did something wrong to provoke him. Amelia just gave a broken giggle and smiled her sweetest.

"I might have forgotten to tell you that Mathilda is with child and you're going to be an uncle!"

"What?!" Arthur's bellow had the rest turn to him and the Chinese woman glared daggers at him.

"If you're going to fight, do it away from here." She shooed the two 'useless' couple out of the salon.

Once out of earshot, Gilbert rubbed his neck and gave a weird look to his old friend.

"You don't have to act like it's the end of the world Arthur." Gilbert jested and was given a glare in return. The German prince rolled his scarlet eyes and gave a desperate sigh.

"Oh come on! It's not like you're going to be a father. And didn't you notice the bump." Gilbert pointed at the slightly swell on his wife midsection. She was wearing a dress that's twice her size in the middle (thanks to Francis for his sewing techniques), so it was barely visible if you didn't look closely.

"Gilbert." Mathilda's soft but stern voice stopped her husband from agitation the irritated Brit even more..

"Are you telling me that this was that the child was conceived the night you took her innocent?" If Gilbert hadn't known Arthur for a long time, he might have punched him in the gut already. But lucky for the thick brows Brit, he knew that his 'gentleman' side was just overtaking the conversation.

Then Arthur's eyes widened at the memory from a few months back in this very hall. He jerked a finger at his supposed close friend.

"Arttie, please stop." Amelia tried reasoning when she noticed the conversation was stressing her twin.

"Oh my gosh. You married her out of guilt in conceiving, didn't you? That's why you married her right then and there." A whimpered had both men looked at Mathilda's red faced.

"Arthur!" Amelia growled at her shocked husband as she cradled her twin, who had tears forming in her eyes. Realizing his mistake, Arthur's expression softened. He tired to apologized, but was stop from the German.

"_Scheiße_. Why do you have to be such an ass?" He took his wife from her twin and glared at Arthur hard on the face.

"Listen here, Brit. I didn't know that she was with child on our wedding day, but mark my word when I say I'm glad that I did what I did." He tightens his grip on Mathilda's waist, and looked at her troubled face. He brushed the tear stain away from her cheeks and smiled softly to her.

"She is my _liebing_ now and that would never chance." Mathilda's gasped at the soft look that replaced the usual proud one on her husband's handsome face. He leaned down to kiss her lips and groped her bottom. When Mathilda squealed, he took advantage of her open mouth to taste her tongue.

Arthur and Amelia's mouth were jaw dropped at the scene unfolding in front of them, right here in the open. When Mathilda moaned, Arthur cleared his throat and took Amelia away from the openly passionate couple.

A doctor came half an hour after Yue had woken up. However, Kiku was taken care of first hhe looked at the slightly shocked pregnant woman.

"She and the child will be fine, just as long she doesn't hit her head and avoids whatever had caused her blood to drop that suddenly." The doctored said in a fearful tone as an intimidating Russian was emitting an unnerving aura behind him.

"Thank you doctor." YueMei shook his hand and escorted him out with Henry following behind.

Yue finished her glass of water and sighed rubbing her forehead.

"You're fine, da?" Ivan went to sit on floor next to her and stared up at his wife with an expression that caused Yue to smile at the cuteness.

"_Shi_. We are fine." She rubbed her swollen abdomen in assurance and was given a peck on the lips from the Russian.

"Now, can you tell me what had happened to Kiku?" Yue tilted her head to the sleeping Japanese man on the couch. His upper body was covered in white bandages. Ivan frowned and moved to block Yue's view from him.

"_Nyet._ You need to rest now." He helped her up and Yue tired to looked at her baby half-brother again but the Russian was not having none of it.

"Iva-"

"_Nyet._" His voice gave no room for argument and Yue let it go for now as he pulled her out of the saloon.

^J^

The pale prince idly smooth his pregnant wife's stomach as they laid on the green pasture behind the Kirkland estate. Both stayed away from everyone when they were told by one of the servants that Yue was now better and that no serious harm was done to Kiku. So Gilbert took Mathilda out for a fresh air.

She might need it after all the commotions they had since arriving. It was hard to believe that it was not even lunch yet.

Gilbert ran through the events of the morning in his head. He had brought with them an unwanted man from the past of both Chinese women, and Yue had fainted at the sight of him. He chuckled at the very thought of it. He was really a demon in disguise to caused threse misfortunes.

Mathilda looked up as she felt Gilbert's chest shaking violently, and the sight before her puzzled her.

"What is so humorous that you are laughing all by yourself?" Gilbert looked at her, without removing the grin of his face and traced her slightly swollen cheeks. Her lilac eyes had returned back to its normal shine than before she was crying.

"Nothing, just thinking that what the priests said how I will bring misfortune to others is true." Mathilda frowned at her husband's dark humour.

"That's nothing funny, Gilbert." Gilbert chuckled some more but smirked when his wife said the next words.

"You said it yourself, you should not be bothered by other's thoughts. Where's the Gilbert that I know off accepted who he is?" Mathilda sat up and Gilbert followed, not liking the absent feeling his wife's warm body pressing down at him.

"_Ja! _And why did Arthur's words hurt you earlier when you know that I would never leave you?" Mathilda blushed but looked away from the smirking man.

"That's different." She weakly defended herself. She run her hands to her swollen tummy and sighed, staring at the distance. Even though it was noon and the sun was out, quite rare in England, the air gave a nasty chill on their coated bodies.

"I know I never cried that easily before." Gilbert turned to his wife when she suddenly started talking again. She turned to him swiftly and he jumped a little in surprise at the determination on her watery eyes.

"Yeah? It's quite hard to believe." She ignored the sarcasm but continue to explain.

"I may be timid Gilbert, but I don't cry easily. Not since. . .not sin" Her words dried out and her eyes began to swell again with big fat tears falling down her cheeks. Gilbert jerked in panic wondering why his wife started crying again.

"_Ficken!_ What's the matter?" He didn't know what else to do but pull her into a hug and smoothed her back as she tried speaking in broken English.

"I-I'm s-sorry. It's j-juuust that, I suddenly –hic-felt like crying." She covered her faced at Gilbert's jacket and tried desperately to breathe normally, failing miserably if you asked Gilbert.

"Mathilda." He calmed her with his voice and cradled her in his lap, trying to remember how his mother did it to him when he was having a bad day.

After a few minutes, Mathilda stopped her violent shaking and just breathe in deeply, concentrating on Gilbert's soft voice and his hand rubbing smooth circles around her back.

"Better?" Mathilda nodded but stayed right where she was, on Gilbert's lap being cradled like a baby.

"_Gut_." He kissed her forehead and turned up to the darken sky. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

"It looks like England will be having another heavy rain this afternoon." Mathilda turned to where Gilbert' was looking at and sighed softly.

"We should go in." Mathilda nodded and unravelled her arms around Gilbert's neck and both of them stood up. Hand in hand, they walked towards the back door and into the cozy home of the Kirkland estate.

Luncheon was quite awkward. Amelia kept nudging Arthur with her elbow to go apologized to Mathilda and Gilbert. They were the only couples here in the hall, since Ivan insisted that Yue eat in their room and YueMei, along with Henry and Hong, were with them. Kiku was given some time to heal on one of their guest rooms.

The tension was felt in the whole room and Gilbert just raised a brow at the two blonds across from him. He turned to Mathilda, who was nursing the soup and sighed. He stretched his long arms up in the air. Who cares about etiquette since they were with friends, more like in-laws now.

"Soooo~ got something to say, Arthur?" Gilbert taunted the agitated Brit and was received a scroll.

Arthur sighed and he might as well swallow his pride now when it was only them than later where it might be more witnesses.

"Mathilda." Said twin looked shyly at Arthur. She was never really good with meeting eye contact but her twin nodded her head with her huge grin and two thumbs-up which puzzled Gilbert.

"Yes, Arthur." A blush formed on the thick brows Brit and swallowed a lumped before continuing.

"I'm sorry for what I said before. I don't know what has gotten over me when I accusing Gilbert for being that low-"

"_Ja rechts_." Gilbert side comment was ignored by the over embarrassed Brit.

"I shouldn't had acted what I did earlier. Please do accept my sincere apology, Mathilda." Mathilda's mouth opened wide and Amelia patted her husband's shoulder with her wide grin.

"See, it wasn't so bad was it Artie." Amelia encouraged but it might as well be sarcasm.

Mathilda's eyes started to water again and Arthur panicked some more.

"No Mathilda I didn't mean to . . Bloody hell. I mean, what I'm trying to say is that I am sorry for acting all high and mighty and jump to conclusion. Please don't cry." Amelia was right beside her twin as soon as she noticed the tears in her eyes and comforted her.

"Maddie. Come now, don't be such a cry baby."

"I'm not~" She defended miserably with tears falling from her eyes and her voice cracking a little.

"I'm sorry Arthur. I didn't mean to trouble you-hic- its just that –hic- I feel quite emotional now –hic- a days." Mathilda said with tear stained eyes and her sleeves were soaked through.

"Kesese, it may be because of the baby that's she's acting like that." Gilbert was now practically immune to his teary wife, though it still pained him to see her like that. Amelia's head then quickly snapped up with excitement on her cerulean blue eyes.

"I remember now! Yue told me why she cried on my wedding day. She denied being a softy to me but said that it was her baby's doing." Arthur was a little pale but nodded his head in understanding.

"R-really?" Mathilda asked in a whisper when her crying stopped.

"Yeah! She says that its because of our home mine."

"Our what?" Gilbert blinked in confusion.

"Our hormone. Its HOR-MONE not home mine, Amelia." Arthur supplied and cruised at the same time. Amelia waved her hand in the air and patted Mathilda on her shoulder.

"Maddies' HORMONE-" She emphasized the last word just for Arthur. "It's unstable as Yue had put it. Since I'm your sister and the aunt of the new bundle of joy, I will help Maddie fight this hormone!" She excitedly declared and Gilbert had to laugh at the overly exaggerated twin. Arthur just rubbed his face in frustration.

Afternoon was much more peaceful. Since the rain was pouring nonstop, the whole family was stuck inside the estate.

Yue had tried convincing Ivan to let her go and be with Mathilda, but failed miserably. So here she was, laying on the bed, her head rested on the wooden board and frowning down at the chess board in front of her.

"Anytime Yue." Mathilda giggled at her friend's serious face concentrating on the board game. Half of her wooden white army were captured by Mathilda's advancing black knight and bishops.

Her small hand reached for her last knight but stopped when Ivan coughed. She then pulled her hand back and frowned at the board some more. Mathilda just smiled. She had all the time in the world and she was having fun seeing her Chinese friend struggling to remember which chess piece moves the right way.

"Aaaah! Just move a piece already!" Amelia screamed but was ignored. She had been doing that every time its Yue's turned to move and she was itching to just take over the game. After all, chess was a common game here and back in Boston.

Finally! Yue settled for her last rook to moved straight from the left. Ivan winced but wouldn't let it show. Mathilda's smile widened and moved her queen diagonally to her sitting-duck king.

"Check-mate." Mathilda smiled at Yue, who in returned frowned at the board and sigh.

"_Xiangqi_ is much easier." Amelia shorted."Yeah right, with those Chinese words written on them, its much more difficult to handle than this." Mathilda just glared at her twin to be polite, not only because Ivan was smiling a little creepier but because it's the proper way.

A knock on the door had all four heads turned to the door, Gilbert entered the room and cleared his throat before letting Kuma paddled in as well.

"_Oui _Gilbert?" Gilbert sleepily looked from one pair of eyes to the other before sighing in defeat. Why did he have to lose to Arthur on this?

"Ah, well, YueMei just called me to tell you that Kiku is awake." Two blond twins turned too looked at the heavenly pregnant women on the bed. Yue just smiled and nodded her head.

"Thank you for informing us Gilbert. We'll be there in a few minutes." Both twins could have sworn that Ivan had a rather frightening aura that's evolving around the room.

* * *

**A/N: THANK YOU SO MUCH INVISIBLEMANDA!**

**Sorry for the wait, I have been battling writer's block syndrome since my last chapter and hope this will make it up to it. I had a hard time writing this and fear that it might be a little too dark for some of you.**

**History facts:**

**I based Ivan and Kiku (more like a one –sided battle) fight with a real war between the two. And of course, China was the main reason for it, a little. In the peak of WW2, Japan made a treaty with the Soviet with a peace alliance, that they wouldn't bother them when they invaded China. Of of course the Chinese were frightened by this and they themselves had a secret meeting with the Soviets to support them or help them when Japan invaded. The Soviet accepts and went to be part of the Allied force and help fight back the Japanese in China's soil. Both team losses a lot of troops but in the end Russia won with crippling the Japanese army a little. (you may correct me if I'm wrong with this)**

**The liquid bottle I kept present is non-other than White Flower oil. I don't know if this product is available in the other countries besides Asia. I personally loved this oil, it helps a lot in my life. Benefits of using it are to fight mosquitoes away (I live in a tropical country, and mosquitoes are my biggest enemy here), smooth sore muscles when rubbed, and of course, the all famous ammonia init that helps a fainted person or dizzy person gain consciousness.**

**Chess, all time classic game in the world. It was first invented in India but because of its easy rules, they were a hit to the upper class people in England and then it went to the world. Chinese Chess or Xiangqi, as an almost same rules but the pieces are a bit different, instead of figures like the normal chess, it's all a rectangular box with Chinese letters to indicate what piece is what. **

**Bonus:**

**Mathilda may be a bit early in feeling those unstable hormones, but as everybody says, no pregnancy are the same. Good luck Mathilda! Lols.**

**Thank you for your patience with me and reading this, have a happy and blessed day everyone!**


	22. Chapter 22

**I don't own hetalia!**

**Warning: Not-edited. Beware!**

* * *

"You're not going to see him, are you?" Ivan's pleading voice might have work if it wasn't for the twins shivering in fear. Yue nodded her head and pulled the covers away from her. Her hand immediately went to her plumped abdomen to steady her balance.

"I'm going Ivan. He's my little brother." Gasped could be heard by the blondes. She smiled sweetly at them before turning back to her husband. "Besides, I feel much better now. A little walk would do no harm to us." She rubbed her pregnant belly with a sweet smile to her worried husband. More like overly protective if Amelia had the guts to say to the not stable father-to-be.

A staring contest was being made by the couple and Mathilda thought that the lightning and the thunder went by through the window had added to the scenery of a horror story.

Much to the twins' amusement, Yue won this round and her husband let her walk pass by him. Not wanting to be left alone with an annoyed Russian, both the twins followed Yue behind.

Walking down the hall was a bit quite but their shoes clacking noise on the wooden floor.

"So. . . "Amelia, not being able to stand the silent, asked the pregnant women in the middle of her and her twin. Yue turned to her slightly while they all kept on walking.

"What's the connection with you and Kiku?" Yue stopped short on her next step and both the twins had to return their steps when they noticed their Chinese friend was not with them anymore.

Mathilda glared at her twin to cause the slight absent look on Yue's face and behind her, Ivan was walking with long stride to get to her. "I didn't mean to . . " Amelia stopped her apology when Yue raised a hand and just kept on rubbing her abdomen.

"No, its fine. Its just a long story." Another silent and Ivan placed a steady hand on his wife shoulder and pressed a little. "That feels nice, Ivan." She turned back to the waiting twins and smiled at them.

"Maybe some other time, now we should go and check on Kiku." They nodded and went to find the room.

Which was easy, were Gilbert was leaning on the nearby wall and arms cross waiting for them. He straightens himself up once he saw the four people coming.

"That took long enough." Mathilda went to him and he knocked on the jarred door before opening it. Revealing the Japanese man laying on the over sized bed and mountain of red and white pillows surrounding him. Yue smiled at the image before her, it looked like Kiku was being swallowed by the sheets and pillows.

Seeing the pregnant lady, Kiku swiftly jerked up from his comfort but growled at the sting on his shoulder. Yue immediately went beside him and tired smoothing him to return to the bed.

"_There now, little brother. Don't need to act harshly to punish yourself_." Yue's native language flows out of her mouth smoothly. Besides the Japanese man understanding her, Mathilda could have guess that those words were calming, motherly to make Kiku's dark brown eyes shone with unshed tears.

"_Sister, I-I'm so sorry_." Kiku choked out his Chinese, aside from being rusty for not using it but he was filled with guilt in years, thinking that his sister had died all those years ago. Yue smoothed him and he clenched at her shawl, soaking it, with the repeated phrase of Duìbùqi - I'm sorry.

Mathilda pulled Gilbert and her sister out of the room to let Yue have an alone time with the Japanese man, Ivan, however stayed behind on one of the sofa's in the huge room.

Once out of the room, Gilbert sighed in defeat.

"If I had known he was her sister. . ." He trailed off, but was not missed by the twin's curious look.

He raised both of his pale hands in surrender at the bulging eyes the twins were giving him for answers.

"Don't look at me like that. I swear. I don't know anything!" He explained. Then they heard footsteps coming form down the hall and there was Arthur, holding a tray of food and his stepmother in toll.

He looked at the three with a weird expression before knocking on the door. Crying could be heard once the door was opened. The twins and Gilbert sneaked behind the doorframe and looked as Kiku soften his crying and Yue holding her pregnant tummy.

Arthur placed the tray of food besides the table before went to seat on one of the sofa's besides Ivan. YueMei pulled out a small bottle from her violet gown and gave it to Kiku, who received with trembling hands.

"Drink this, it will help with the pain." Her voice was hollow, like speaking a mantra rather than a real care in her voice. Kiku flinched by that tone but he obeyed by drinking the concoction. YueMei turned to her daughter then and gave a stern advice to return to her room.

"But-"

"No buts, just go. Both you and Kiku needed the rest." With one final look at her sleepy brother, Yue bowed to them and left with Ivan and Arthur in tow. The other three followed them back to Yue's room and Ivan was about to shoo the blonds away, but Yue stopped him and told them to seat by the sofa.

The rain had softened to a drizzle, that Ivan could now see some of the view of the vast wet trees. Mathilda and Amelia sat side by side while their husband stayed standing behind them. Yue took the chair nearest to the fireplace and stared at the ember of fire.

"I should explain why I acted like that this morning." Not removing her honey-colour eyes, Yue continue to tell her story.

"Kiku is my half-brother. My father wasn't quite happy with my mother to bear a girl, so he took a Japanese woman when he was away in Japan with his campaign." Mathilda was trying to digest little word the Chinese woman was saying. Yue suddenly crack a smile and rubbed her swollen stomach.

"He actually took three more wives and he treated the ones who bore him sons more kindly."

"I was young back then, I didn't understand that my father was treating my mother really badly." She then turned her eyes to Arthur. "She was so happy when she met your father, Arthur." Everybody knows how that story goes. YueMei took her daughter with her in the middle of the night and sneak with Henry to go to England. And Yue had finally opened up with Arthur before falling for her now Russian husband.

"You all know that my mother and I sneak out in the night to follow Henry." Everyone nodded their head in union. Yue turned her stare to her husband then and he was smiling softly at her, encouraging her to challenge her fears.

"Well, we didn't go unnoticed by my father." Mathilda gasped, she had read enough drama books to know there were consequences when one were caught escaping.

"Kiku was just a child back then." Her voice choked and Ivan went straight to her. Seeing the distress, Mathilda wanted for her to stop for it wasn't good for the baby.

"My father, our father had brain washed him to belittle women. We used to be such good with each other." Yue continued on, Mathilda took a side look to see if her sister would stop this but found that Amelia was tearing up and was engrossed with Yue's story.

"I don't know who found out first, Kiku went to our room that night and planned on killing us both." Both the twins gasped.

_YueMei wasn't happy to see the 14 year old boy here and pulled her daughter to behind her. Yue was puzzled since she and Kiku were the closes in age in all of her siblings. "Mama, what's wrong?" Kiku's brown eyes looked like a lifeless soul that brought shiver down their spins. "Kiku, put the knife down please." YueMei said as she tried to calm her stepson. Yue just noticed the knife, the Kanata his mother had given to him on his thirteen birthday._

_As Kiku charged towards them that YueMei pushed Yue to the side and hold Kiku's hand from piercing that knife on her face._

"_Mama!" Yue shouted and pulled Kiku away from her mother. But he was fast. Before he hit the floor with her. KIku managed to get his footing and change his target to Yue._

_Yue was frighten on the looked of Kiku's face._

"_You are a traitor in this family, Yue."_Not Jiejie?_Yue thought in fear and scrambled to get away from him._

"_Yue, over here." YueMei called from the door and Yue run towards it. As they run outside the freezing night, they heard Kiku shouting that thieves had come in. when they crossed the closed gate and looked around to see if there was another exit. When Yue found a tall enough tree to climb she urged her mother to go first. As they climbed, Yue heard her father shouting at the guards to shot at them. When an arrow hit her mother in the shoulder and lost her gridded and fell._

_Yue shrieked, getting the attention from her father, who called of the guards. When they come into examine who had fallen. One of her father's other wives screamed and went to help YueMei. The third wife tried to calm Yue for her to go down from the tree. But she was crying terribly and refused to listen. When her father came and commanded that she let go. Her fear of her father was worst than being killed so she did came down and someone had placed a clothed around her thin nightwear._

_As they gave Yue a warm tea to drink and place her back in her room. And notice the room was a mess._

"_Who did these?" The second wife said._

"_Mama?" Yue cried and they came to comfort her telling her she was fine and just needed some rest. So they placed Yue with her mother at the other side of the house to clean her room._

"_Mama!" Yue run towards her mother and hugged her as she saw her with a banged rapped around her left shoulder that she loosen her hold._

"_Are you alright dear?" YueMei whipped the tears away from her daughter's eyes did they notice her husband had come in._

"_What happened? Why did you run in the middle of the night?" he gave his voice a rather stern tone that frighten Yue._

"_We run because Kiku—"_

"_Kiku! Kiku was the one who was frighten that someone was running in the middle of the night." they were both shocked at this and kept silent as he ranted his anger. The other wives were listening outside pitting them. When he left, YueMei was in raged and planed to run away and never return that moment. So as the sun was rising. She pulled Yue awake and told her to be quite._

_So they changed in to servants clothes and grabbed a basket filled with clothes and some jewels they own and a little food covered with a cloth and went to the gate and the guards opened it to them thinking they one of the servants going out to the market._

_Halfway to the market did they heard a horse galloping towards them. YueMei was frantic and told Yue to hide but the next thing they knew was that Yue was on the floor shouting in pain._

_Yue wasn't prepared with the burning pain that she felt on her back as the horse's hooves came to a stop, as she was on the dirty floor bleeding. She knew she was bleeding, real bad, as she can fell the warm wetness on her back and the stinking pain was inevitable._

"_That's for betraying my father and running away from him." Kiku?_

"_You," Yue thought no one was with them and know that it was for her mother._

"_Will live alone in this world, knowing that you're the cause of the death of your only daughter."That was the last voice Yue heard before blackness had came to her._

_Yue came in to consciousness with a smell of good food beside her and a sound of rain outside. As she tried to get up, pain in the back had stroked her like lightning that she went back down to kissed her face on the pillow._

"_Easy there little one." Yue swiftly moved her head to the side with the foreign tongue she just learn a year ago. He had bright green eyes and short blond hair. Though what really caught her eye was that thick eyebrows that Yue swore were caterpillar._

"_Who are you?" her accent was a little weird but lucky for her, the foreigner understood it._

"_You speak English. That's good." He went to table and grabbed a pendant that belongs to her mother._

"_Your mother went out for a while. She said she will be back in a few minutes." Yue started to cry then and he patted her reassuring her that they will be safe from now on._

"What?! He stabbed you?" Amelia shrieked and stood up to go stand in front of Yue. "How could he do that? You're his sister!" Yue smiled then at Amelia's sweet way of showing her care.

"I'm alive, so it was fine." Yue assured her, she then heard a grunt from both males and observed them.

"That's why you don't want to go swimming in summer." Arthur said it with new understanding from his step-sister. Gilbert however wasn't smiling but stared at Yue with new respect by his looks. "You're one tough girl Yue."

Yue laughed and stood up from her chair, with Ivan's help off course. "Thank you Gilbert." Amelia was still ranting about how she used to respect that Japanese man and now how she plan to have a long talk with him.

Mathilda wiped the tears that had fallen and stood as well, she however stopped dead when she saw the sweat sprouting on Yue's forehead_. Has retelling the story made her tired_, Mathilda thought. She paled as she saw Yue's sudden discomfort increased from the frown on her face to the iron gripped she had on her swollen abdomen.

She pulled Gilbert's sleeve and mouthed 'Yue'. He was puzzled at his wife worried look but turned to Yue, and saw she was gripping her gown and her face was rather scowling in discomfort. He understood immediately, and went out to look for YueMei.

Mathilda helped Yue to sit on the bed, but once she sat down. Yue couldn't contained the pain she was suffering and quickly grabbed her arms around her stomach and shirked that must had been louder than the rain.

"Yue!" Ivan's eyes widen in terror as his wife refused to rose from her bent position on the bed.

"T-the baby. Aaargghhh! I think it's coming out." She shouted another before YueMei barged into the room and two maids with white clothes. YueMei looked at her daughter and saw the sweat covered on her gown and quickly turned to the petrified three blonds in the room.

"Please leave the room." Another screech, they scrambled out of the room with the door closed behind them. They were suddenly washed with fear that Yue might be in danger.

"The baby wasn't supposed to be out for another two weeks." They jerked in surprised when Ivan's cold voice spoke. Mathilda turned to look between Arthur and her sister for advice to calm the Russian. He seemed paler than his normal skin tone.

Gilbert came running from down the hall with a basin of steaming water one both hands. "Open the door." He ordered with adrenaline running through his vein. Arthur opened it for him and he gave it to one of the maids and left. Not of course hearing and seeing Yue's pain in childbirth.

He went to his wife and kissed her forehead before whispering. "She'll be alright."

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry everyone, but my editor, inviblemanda will not be able to edit this for the time being. She has tons of school loads to finish first. So, pray for her!**

**Sorry again for the late update. As you can see, I'm running out of inspiration at this moment. Haha! I blamed it on my finals two weeks ago. But then again, that's childish, so I'll just blame my lack of internet for two days.**

**For those who noticed that this chapter seems a lot like one of the chapters in the Wedding. Well, you have a pretty good eye then. I just can't rewrite it without disturbing the past. But then again, it's my story and I can do anything with it. **

**And Chinese men do not take second or third wives. They are usually called concubines. But it seems kind of rude to write that word, so I just substitute it. Oh and baby do comes out when the mother is in stress. Sooo, **_**dun dun dun dun**_**! Yue had a lot of stress emotions on the last two chapters(which is remarkably been only a day). I'm not being mean, China is after all one of my favourite characters. But we'll just have to wait and see.**

**Thank you for those people that had reviewed the last chapter. Aaaahhh! It makes me want to right the next chapter right away when I know someone is reading my work. I'm so touch, thank you all!**

**Have a nice day everyone!**


	23. Chapter 23

**I don't own hetalia**

**Warning: Not-edited. Beware!**

* * *

"Ivan! I'm telling you, you can't go in yet." Gilbert growled in annoyance as he and Arthur tried their hardest to restrain the big Russian from barging into the room. Yue had suddenly turned quite a few minutes ago and it had worried all of them. Mathilda and Amelia had entered the room once the screaming had stopped.

"_Nyet!_ Yue needs me." With his might he pushed Arthur to the side and kicked Gilbert on the sheen.

"Not awesome Russian!" Gilbert barked as he nursed his injured sheen. Not caring as Ivan continued to walk towards the close door, however, with a loud thud, he was immediately throw to the floor as Arthur jumped him from behind.

"Would you just bloody calm down?" Arthur practically shouted as the man beneath him. He was sitting on Ivan's spine and had both of the Russian's hand pinned to the ground. It wasn't long before Ivan started to stir from his shock.

"_Nyet!_"

"Bloody hell." Arthur swore as Ivan was fighting to get up. "Gilbert! A little help would be nice." With a click of the tongue, the Prince went to restrain the Russian's arms. "Just calm down Ivan. Yue will not be to happy to see her husband bloody and bruise when we are done with you." The threat was however missed interpreted by the struggling man. He turned his violet eyes awkwardly to his two captors. Whom both gulped at the sheer look the Russian was given them.

Ivan cracked a small smile that didn't help the sudden dropped of coldness in the atmosphere.

"You think I'm worried with that? Yue's health is more important to me right now tha-" Ivan stopped when the door was opened.

^J^

Mathilda was shaking in fear once she and her sister were called inside. Yue had stopped screaming and from the looks of it. Her mother had somehow calmed her down a little and Yue was just breathing quite fast.

Her usual calm honey-coloured eyes were now clouded with fear. She turned her sweat covered brows to the two new occupancies in the room.

"I called you two in to try to talk to her. Her water hadn't broke, so this might be one of those false labours." YueMei explained from between her daughter's opened legs.

Yue's was almost sitting up and Mathilda observed, it may be due to the help of the dozen pillows supporting her back. Her smooth face was now covered in sweat, with some of her silky smooth hair that was tied in a bun had now been free and was plastered to her forehead and neck.

Yue was just wearing her chemise, and Mathilda scanned the room to see that the gown she was wearing earlier had been cut off and was discarded in the nearby chair.

"Has the doctor been telegram?" YueMei asked one of the elderly maids. She nodded her head and placed a fresh towelette on Yue's forehead. YueMei turned to the two blonds then and raised her brow.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to distract Yue before the doctor arrives?" The twins immediately went to Yue's side. Yue smiled weakly at them as she rubbed her abdomen.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine." She assured them. When another contraction hits, Yue cling in pain as she tried to smooth it with deep breathing. "That's it Yue, just breath in and out. In and out." Her mother assured her.

Mathilda turned to her sister, whose face had turned to a pale white and she fear that she might faint in an inappropriate time. A small giggle had them both turned to YueMei.

"You remind me of myself when I was young. Let me guess, Amelia, you don't to get pregnant with my son now?" Amelia didn't answer but just stared at her mother-in-law with saucer sized eyes.

"I would love another grandchild. But don't let this hinder you of going to motherhood. It's natural to us girls to feel this much pain in childbirth to bond with our offspring." Mathilda immediately when to hold her own pregnancy.

"It is?" She whispered to herself. YueMei however continued. "Why do you think a mother's love for her child is unconditional? It's not because you feel cheated when your child is gone when you suffer for hours to just bring them here and was cut short." Mathilda's eyes went to look at Yue's whose eyes were staring at her mother's.

"It's because you started bonding with the child once contraction hits and you continue to do so on breast feeding and teaching."

Another contraction and YueMei immediately went back to seat at the end of the bed. Her face turned to a frown and flicks her tongue between her teeth. "You're water just broke. There's no time to wait for the doctor if we want this baby to live."

"But Ivan said the baby isn't due for another month." Amelia's concern voice had YueMei's scowl more.

"I know, and that's why I said that this might be one of those false labour, but apparently the baby is as stubborn as its mother." Yue's face had turned pale white and was chanting her husband's name, YueMei turned to Mathilda and barked an order. "Call Ivan in." She nodded her head and went to the door.

Once the door was opened, Mathilda had a hard time placing what she saw. Ivan's head was on an odd angel from his position, pinned down my Arthur and Gilbert. The males immediately turned to look at her in same shocked expression.

"W-well, Ivan. Yue is calling for you."

The Russian quickly shook off the two full grown male from his back and stood up. Amelia stood aside once Ivan had walk in like a dog on a mission.

"Yue!" He took hold of his wife's cold hand and smooth of her hair from her face. Yue gasped and turned hazy eyes to her husband. "Ivan, our baby will be celebrating Christmas with us." She chuckled before groaning as another contraction hits.

"Shhh. Save your energy _dorogoy_."

"Yue!" said name turned to her mother. "The baby isn't coming out if you're not pushing."

"R-right." Yue said as a contraction hits, she pushed her hardest as YueMei counted to 10. "8. 9. 10. Ok breath." Yue exhaled and loosen her gripped on Ivan's hand.

"Good Yue, just continue to do that, your cervix has open quite fast too." YueMei smiled at her daughter. "Of course, you got those hips of yours from yours truly." Yue glared at her mother's inappropriate time of lecture.

"Mama, thi-_ah_… this isn't the best time to … _uhm_ .." The suffering women turned to her husband for comfort.

"Oh hush now dear. You just concentrate on bring my first grandchild." The joy of YueMei's wasn't missed by the two twins, still standing in shock at the scene before them.

"This is the pain we women go through? Those men should bow down to us." Amelia whispered to her sister as Yue continue to do her pushing and breathing.

"You might be next, you know." Mathilda whispered back. Amelia snickered however and playfully shoves her. "Maybe. But you're going first." While pointing to her already visible pregnancy, Mathilda instinct covered her stomach, like she was afraid her child will hear the taunt.

A desperate cry had them both focus to Yue again and the anticipation on YueMei was just too much. "I can see the head! Yue, just a few more push." She did so, and Mathilda shivered as she heard the squeaky liquid sound, before she saw the small gray baby, covered in streaks of blood and white substance, pulled out from Yue.

Yue gasped an exhausted sighed as she tumble back to her mountainous pillows, her eyelids were heavy but she tried to fight herself to stay awake to know her baby is find.

The silent that greet her wasn't what she expected though. She pushed some of the hair away from her sweaty forehead and she suddenly felt Ivan's hand holding quite tight at her hand.

"W-what's wrong?" Yue's rough voice snapped the trance that seems to be on everyone.

"I'm so sorry, Yue." YueMei's tone had alarmed her daughter that she quickly, but weakly got sat up. Her tiredness seems to be replaced by worry and anxiety.

"Where-" She was cut off as Ivan went to hug her and cried softly into her shoulder. Yue's eyes widen and her heart was pounding into her ribcage. She saw one of the servant carrying a bundle and was about to live the room.

"NO!" Her desperate cry had stopped the maid but and turned to her owner in sad pitiful glaze.

"P-pl-please." Yue plead.

"No Yue, it's much better this way." However, she ignored her mother and continues to look at the servant.

"Please, just let me see him." The crashed tone of her voice had broken the heart of the people around her and Ivan nods his approval to the servant. This might be their last chance to see their child. The servant quickly went to the parents and gave Yue an apologetic look before giving the unmoving bundle.

Yue swallowed her dry throat, and nervously removed the white sheet covering her child.

"You look so peaceful." Yue cooed to her child. She removed some of the cloth to see if she had a boy or a girl.

"A boy." Yue's voice was getting smaller. She hiccup and hugged the baby to her chest.

"Ivan, we have—_sniff_—had a boy." Yue said as she started crying and racking her small son. Ivan just smoothed his wife's back in attempt to comfort her. He wasn't expecting this to happen and didn't know what to do when he, himself, was a miserable.

"It's alright Yue." Ivan assured his wife, he however paused when his wife stopped crying . He looked in puzzlement when Yue removed their dead child from her chest to stare at it. He looked at bit cooler and he could have sworn he saw the child's chest expanded.

He laughed and the rest turned to him in questioning look.

"My eyes must be deceiving me." Ivan said softly, but Yue heard him and she, never removing her eyes from her son, said.

"No Ivan. He did breath. He's breathing." That gave everyone head's turned up to look at the child.

"He did?" YueMei immediately went beside Yue's bed, she look at him closely and she started crying new tears. Tears of joy if you say.

"Oh! It's true! It's TRUE!" Everyone started jumping with new found energy and YueMei quickly told the two servants what to do. Mathilda opened her eyes from her silent prayer and gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh my gosh! It's a miracle!" Amelia shouted in joy while whipping her tear stained face.

Yue continue to talk to her son and he was gaining colour, his grey skin before was turning a light pink.

"He has colour!" One of the maid squealed, the baby started opening his mouth in a weak cry escaped from his small mouth. "He cries!" Said the other.

"Quick, we must cut the umbilical cord. And wash him." YueMei ordered and both the servant followed with smiles on their faces. After, they wrap him up into a new clean cloth and gave it to the waiting mother.

"Congratulations, Lady Yue." Both servant said and gave a respectful bow to her husband. Mathilda didn't blame them, the Russian must be frightening to the servants here and from the incident earlier, it must be hard not to piss him off more.

"We must now wait for the doctor to fully check if the baby is alright." YueMei told the two twins, who was both smiling with identical happiness but their eyes told they were still worried. YueMei smiled at them and turned to the new parent with the baby.

The baby was small, yes, but he was now delightfully suckling Yue's milk, so he'll be alright in the future.

"Now, shall we girls wait for the doctor. And let the new parents alone for a while?" She assured both out of the room and they went to the saloon, to see the rest of the men waiting anxiously.

Gilbert trying to play with Hong with the blocks Arthur has build, on the carpeted floor. Henry drinking a few whiskey with his son on the sofa.

Arthur was the first one to notice them, he stood up from the sofa and went straight to his wife.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Amelia smirked at him and kissed him full in the lips.

"You'll never believe what had happened in there. It was a miracle." The rest of the male gave them all a worried look, but YueMei explained to them what happened.

"_Mein gutt_." Gilbert's hand tightens around Mathilda's waist as YueMei finishes her retelling.

"It's a miracle Henry." YueMei sobbed on her husband's shoulder as he smiled at the news of his first grandson. "Praise the Lord." Arthur said as he tried his hardest to control his tears from slipping out.

A footman came running in announcing that the doctor had arrived. The family along with their guest, sighed some more before going to the front door to great the doctor. YueMei explained to the doctor what happened and why she had some blood on her sleeves.

"Should we wait until the doctor check on Yue and her baby before disturbing her again?" Mathilda asked and luckily, everyone heard her.

"Yes, we should. I guess we could wait for them to finish." Henry said and pick up Hong to go to his nursery. Leaving the two couples with nothing to do.

With a coughed, Arthur asked the two girls about what happened in there.

"So, you saw the whole thing?" Amelia was the more eager of the two to express her tought about the experience.

"You should have seen it Arthur! The baby just came right out of Yue. And with the size of him, no wonder Yue was screaming in pain. Though, YueMei did say that the baby was a bit to small."

Cold sweat came to both males as the very thought of a human being coming out of them.

"It's a good thing we wouldn't experience that kind of thing, right Gilbert?" Arthur gave a half remarked.

"Yeah, it will be so unawesome to scream like that." Gilbert, however, turned to Mathilda with a worried look on his face. It never crossed his mind what would Mathilda think of this. Would it scared her, when the time for their child to be delivered.

"Oh yeah, you guys should bow down to us for it." Amelia susplied as she remembered her comment earlier with her sister.

"And why would we do that?" Arthur's sarcasm tone was heard.

"Well, duh. You took you're time enjoying the act but left us female do all the work when the baby comes." Arthur's face turned bright, so did Mathilda. Gilbert on the other hand, just laughed at his sister-in-law's bluntness.

"W-what? Amelia! You should not talk like that. It's so un-lady like." Arthur scowled his wife, she ignored him and continue to list down why men should be the submissive being to the females.

When it seems that both of the blonds would be quite busy for the moment, Gilbert and Mathilda excused themselves to the dining hall. They asked for drinks from one of the cooks before settling on the wooden chairs.

Mathilda groan as she hit the cool chair and just realized that the whole afternoon, she was standing up. The swore of her leg muscle was ignored by the commotion. But now, when everything had settled down, she let her stiff muscles a little stretched and hugged the equally cool wooden table. The rain had stopped sometime when Yue was in labour, and a cool soft breeze could be felt on the newly opened window by Gilbert.

"I hope you don't mind," Gilbert said as he took the seat next to his wife. "It's a little stuffy in here." Mathilda turned her head side ways to see Gilbert removing his cravat and loosening some of the top buttons on his shirt.

"Gilbert." Said name turned to his wife with a raised brow.

"By any chance you're afraid of the thought of child-birth?" Gilbert's scarlet eyes widen before looking away from his wife's soft violet-blue ones. Mathilda straighten her position before placing her hand to Gilbert's on top of the table.

"Don't worry Gilbert. It's only natural." Gilbert stiffened first but relax as he left Mathilda's hand on his. He looked at it and turned his palm up to inter whine their fingers together.

"I never did tell you the reason why my mother died." His voice was low but Mathilda could sense that it was filled with emotion.

"My _mutti _never cared that I look like this but when she was pregnant with Ludwig. Her health wasn't the best and with those people where spreading that it might be another baby like me." He smirked.

"Sadly to them, Ludwig was a perfect prince." Gilbert's tone has no sign of jealousy but true pride of being an older brother to that muscular stoic prince. "However, my _mutti _didn't get the chance to see that." Mathilda eyes widen. This was her first time learning the truth of Gilbert's mysterious mother.

"She died of childbirth."

"Oh Gil, I'm sor—"

"Don't. I'm sure she didn't regret bringing Ludwig to this world as well." His scarlet eyes were shining of unshed tears.

"That's why I never wanted to get any girl pregnant." Mathilda felt Gilbert's hand tighten around hers. "That was before I met you." Blushing, Mathilda smiled weakly at him. He went to caress her slightly swollen tummy with his other free hand.

"She was the light to our dull life in that eerie castle." Mathilda looked at Gilbert's calm face as he softly continues to caress their unborn child. "My father was never the same when _mutti_ died. He became more reserve and dead serious." He laughed then at the memory of his childhood.

"That may explain West's behaviour. Kesesese, that old man is a bad role model."

Mathilda smiled at his husband sudden cheery mood and the lighten atmosphere.

"What did she look like?" Gilbert was surprised at the sudden question but recovered and smiled some more. "Beautiful." Was all Mathilda though the Prussian prince will give, but he continued after a long paused.

"It's been a long time since I see her portrait but I can still remember it so clearly. Maria Klein Beilschmidt eyes were light blue, much like Ludwig's though, but her hair was a little lighter than his. She was tall, slender and graceful. Kesese No idea how Uncle Michael did get that height."

"Gilbert?!" He just laughed and stared at the distance with a twinkle in his eyes, like he was remembering his childhood days.

"I remembered before, she would always read a story book to me before going to bed. Its not like I was afraid of the dark or anything. Because that would be so unawesome. But I like listening to her interpretations to those characters in the story." Mathilda's eyes widen at the memory of Gilbert's own interpretations back in the library of Thuringa. She taught that he was just making her feel more comfortable but now, it was a habit that his mother had pass down to her son.

"You do that too." Gilbert gave a puzzled look.

"What?"

"The voice interpretation thing. You did that to me to." Gilbert's pale face was beautiful but the sudden blood rushing to his face had given away his embarrassment immediately as the memory returned.

Mathilda smiled and kissed him the cheek to lessen the blush. "I like it. Will you do it to our child too?"

Smiling Gilbert gave a stern "Of course! No child of mine would be neglecting in any love."

Both of them laughed and drink some tea before Arthur knocked on arch doorway.

"Sorry to disturb both of you, but do you want to see the baby?" Arthur's smile was a sign that both the mother and the child will be fine.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry everyone, but my editor, inviblemanda will not be able to edit this for the time being. She has tons of school loads to finish first. So, pray for her!**

**Newborns are wet, covered in streaks of blood, and coated with a white substance known as****vernix caseosa****, which is hypothesised to act as an****antibacterial****barrier.**

**Ok, I know this was a bit heavy on the heart (even a little?) But there's a saying that a baby wouldn't survive on the 8****th**** month term birth. But then again, there's a story I heard that a baby was revived when the mother got to place the supposed dead baby on her chest and cradle her for a while. A miracle had happened that the baby suddenly survived and the doctor was astonished that they called the baby a miracle child and the grace of God was upon them. Now, medical doctors encourage the mothers to hold their newborn child to strengthen its health.**

**Half of this chapter was inspired by watching too much One Born Every Minute in the Bio Channel. It's a very emotional and you get to learn a lot in that show.**

**Also, sorry for the cliff-hanger again. I was thinking it might be good to cut it off because the last part was all about Mathilda and Gilbert. So I don't want to mix the feelings.**

**This is after all the climax of this whole story. I think. IDK yet. So stay tone again.**

**Thank you for all of those that reviewed, hehe, that was really touching. Please do not be shy do leave one. Positive or negative. I can take it, I'm a big girl now.**

**Have a great day reading everyone!**


End file.
